vV l.-v\\ I "--:::5^>a,f^— - W.W.THOMAS, Jr. President Whjte Library, Cornell University'. •J.1 ii^t! - ;2.2.A '9ii Cornell University Library The original of this book is in the Cornell University Library. There are no known copyright restrictions in the United States on the use of the text. http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924028515728 Cornell University Library DL 617.T46 3 1924 028 515 728 V-* /^<^ SWED M AND THE SWEDES ' /^^. X//^/j, BT WILLIAM WIDGEEY THOMAS, Jr., ENVOY EXTRA.OEDINAET AND MINISTER PLENIPOTENTIAET OP THE UNITED STATES TO SWEDEN AND NORWAY. ILLUSTRATED. CHICAGO AND NEW YORK: RAND, MCNALLY & COMPANY, PUBLISHERS. 1893. 5 -* — r-t — =^ Copyright, 1891, by Rand, McNally & Co, All Rights Heaemed. A/ lis FRost Excellent fHajesfy, i^iNG 0P Sweden and R0rway. ^)\)\s Worl? ^s, loy Mis PKajesty s (irraclous Permission, rKost l\espectfully Oeclicated h THE AUTH0R. PREFACE IpT is now nearly thirty years ago since I first set foot in Sweden. I came as consnl to Gothenburg— one of tlie thirty ^ ' ' war consuls ' ' sent out by Abraham Lincoln. It was here I first learned to know what a noble, gener- ous, hospitable race the Swedes really are — the worthy descendants of the soldiers of Gustavus Adolphus and the "boys in blue" of Charles XII. On my return to America it grieved me to find how little my countrymen knew of the Swedes, and it became one of the chief aims of my life to make their name and fame better understood in my native land. This result I endeavored to accomplish by means of lectures, magazine and newsj^aper articles, and translations; but I was deterred from publishing a completed work on Sweden and the Swedes for fear I could not do them justice. In the meanwhile a vast and increasing number of Swedish immigrants were arriving on our shores and set- tling among us. Indeed it would seem that the Scandina- vian, together with the English, Irish, and German are the four great races Avhose intermingling will chiefly make up the neAv distinctive race of the United States of the future. The need, therefore, of a better understanding of this people is ever growing. During the same time fortune continued to favor me with exceptional and extraordinary opportunities for acquiring a knowledge of these Northmen. It fell to me to lead a colony of Swedes over the ocean and found New Sweden in the forests of Northern Maine, where I spent the better part of four years with our Swed- 2 PREFACE. ish pioneers. I also made frequent visits of research and investigation to old Sweden, and employed my leisure in the study of the Swedish language and literature, sagas and history. I was Minister to Sweden and Norway under President Arthur, and am now, under President Harrison; — and last and best, I share the joys and sorrows of this life with a daughter of the vikings. I have, therefore, at last been emboldened to publish this book. As for writing it, I have been doing that throughout a large portion of my life; for, during my sojourns in Sweden, I have always carried a note-book in my pocket, and jotted down everything that struck me as novel or characteristic on the spot — much to the surprise, no doubt, of many good people who saw me stop and write in the middle of the highway. Believing the characteristics of a race are always best preserved among its peasantry, I have gone much among the Swedish bonder; lived among them; sailed over the fjords and wandered over the fjelds with them; breasted dangers, shared exposure, and broken bread with them ; and learned to know and respect the manner of men they are. Residing in Sweden for the past two years, I have had an excellent opportunity for revising and correcting my manuscript. In this labor I have been especially assisted by Dr. Oscar Montelius, professor at the National Historical Museum; Dr. Elis Sidenbladh, Chief of the Royal Central Statistical Bureau, and Dr. Hjalmar GuUberg, Actuary of the same; Dr. Hans Hildebrand, the Royal Antiquary; Dr. Sven A. Hedlund, editor of the Gothenburg Handels Tidning; Prof. Carl Curman, and Lieut. Axel Ribbing. To each and all of these gentlemen I desire to publicly tender my acknowledgments and thanks. But, most of all, my thanks are due to my good father- in-law, Dr. Ragnar Tornebladh, member of the first cham- ber of the Swedish Riksdag, who has carefully gone over the whole work vsdth me, con-ected many errors, and sug- gested several valuable additions. PEEFACE. 3 Many of the illustrations throughout the book are repro- duced from photographs, and I wish to express my obliga- tions to Messrs. Axel Lindahl & Co., of Stockholm, who generously placed their entire collection of some seven thousand photographs of Scandinavian landscapes, build- ings, and statues at my disposition. I am also indebted to Messrs. Axel Sjoberg & Co., of Karlsborg, for photographs of landscapes, especially along the Gota Canal; to Mr. Robert Lindahl, of Uddevalla, for views of the west coast; to Mr. Aron Jonason, of Gothen- burg, for portraits of the King on board the Droit; and to Capt. Gosta Florman, of Stockholm, for photographs of most of the members of royal family, as well as for the pretty faces of smiling peasant girls. The reproductions of many of the masterpieces of Scandinavian art in painting and sculpture are chiefly from the photographs of Mr. Johannes Jaeger, of Stockholm. And I must not forget to thank two excellent amateur photographers, my friends Prof. Carl Curman and Major Claes Adelskold, for their contributions to this work. With these words of explanation and acknowledgment, I submit this book to the kindly consideration of my countrymen, believing I can do them no greater service than to make them better acquainted with the chivalric people, among whom I have spent so large a portion of my life, and the beautiful wonder land where they dwell. WILLIAM W. THOMAS, Jr. Stockholm, Sweden, October, 189L CONTENTS. PAGE. Introduction, -----.... 13 Chaptee I. Ultima Thule, - - . . . 19 II. Arrival, ------- 29 '. III. The G5ta Canal, ----- 45 IV. Audience, - - - - - - - 67 V. A Eoyal Dinner, ------ 73 VI. The Pounding of Stockholm, - = - 87 VII. First Days in Stockholm, ... 97 VIII. Wallen, ------. m IX. OscarstrCm, ------ 117 X. Balgo, . - - ----- 125 i_^- XI. Housekeeping in Stockholm, - - - 135 XII. Hoisting the American Flag, _ . - 155 XIII. Luther's Birthday, ----- 165 XIV. Winter at Stockholm, - - - - - 169 \^^XY. Christmas in the l^orthland, - - - 197 XVI. A Russian Funeral, - - - - - 311 XVII. Opening the Riksdag, - - - - 217 XVIII. A Royal Ball, - - - - - - 221 „-XIX. The Awakening of Spring, - - - 233 XX. A Walk in the Djurgard, - - - - 241 XXI. A Humbug, ------ 247 XXII. "By the Wild Baltic's Strand," - - - 249 XXIII. The Great Eka, ----- 261 XXIV. Woodcock-Shooting, ----- 265 XXV. Salmon-Fishing, ----- 275 XXVI. The Midnight Sun, ----- 285 'v- XXVII. Midsummer, ------ 291 XXVIII. The King and His Men, - - . - 303 XXIX. The Reporter, ------ 327 (5) CONTENTS. AFTER XXX. Capercailzie and Black Game, - _ PAGE. 3.33 XXXI. A State Dinner, - - - - 347 XXXII. Fredrika Bremer, - - - - 359 XXXIII. Customs and Characteristics, - 367 ,, XXXIV. Some Swedish Exioressions, - 385 v^ XXXV. Dinners and Balls, - 397 XXXVI. Betrothals and Weddings, - 405 XXXVII. Eider-Shooting, - - 415 XXXVIII. Langvikekar, - - - - - 431 XXXIX. The Skargard, - - - - 449 XL. The Island of Gotland and the Ancient City of Visby, - 459 XLI. Fishing at Falkenberg, - - 497 . XLII. A Trip to Dalecarlia, - - 505 XLIII. Stockholm's Blood-Bath, - 533 XLIV. Gustavns Vasa, - - - . - 543 XLV. The King, - - . . - 555 XLVI. Marstrand, - - - - . - 573 XLVII. Lysekil, - - - - - - 595 XLVIII. A Cruise in the Bohus Skargfird, - 627 XLIX. The Province of Bohus and Some of Its Prehistoric Monuments, . 649 L. Upsala, - - - - - - 687 LI. Population, Products, Industries, and Trade, - - - . - 707 LII. Sweden's Commerce with the L'nited States, - - . . 723 LIIL The Swedes in North America, - • 733 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. PAGE. Frontispiece — Portrait of Mr. Thomas, rhor's Battle with the Giants, - - 12 Odiu, -..---- 14 rhor, -------- 15 A. Valkyria, ------ 16 A. Lapp Family, 20 The Swedish Elk, ----- 22 Scene in Lappland, 24 Changing Horses at a GastgitVaregard, 26 New Concert Hall, Tradgardsf Oreniugen, 27 The Lion, 30 The CroT\Ti, ,...., m The Old Moat, ----- 34 The Great Harbor Canal, Looking East, 36 Statue of Gustavus Adolphus, - - 38 Victor Rydberg, 40 Dr. S. A. Hedlund, . . - - 42 The New Museum of Ai-t, - - - 4^3 Silver Brook at Trollhattan, - - 44 The Locks, Trollhattan, - - - - 46 Heirs Fall, Trollhattan, - - - 48 Toppo Fall, Trollhattan, - - - - 49 The Locks at Karlsborg, - - - 50 At Forsvik, near Karlsborg, - - - 50 Steamer on Canal, . - - . 50 The Fortress of Karlsborg, - - - 52 Vettersborg ^^ The Castle of Vadstena, 54 Vettersborg — Portal, - - - - 55 Lake Vettem, from the Motala HiUs, 56 Katarina Stenbock, Third Wife of Gus- tavus Vasa, 58 Vadstena Cloister, in the Fifteenth Cent- ury, . - - . ^ - - 60 Vadstena Nun Making Lace, - - 61 Saint Birgitta, ------ 62 Lock at SOderkiiping, - - - - 63 View from Berg, over Lake Roxen, - 63 The Locks at Berg, - - - - 64 The Canal at SOdertelje, - - - - 66 The King, 69 The Royal Palace, Stockholm, - - 72 Palace of Drottningholm, - - - 74 PAGE. Pi'ince Oscar, ---..- 75 Miss Ebba Munck, ... 77 Prince Carl, - . - . . 79 Prince Eugen, . . . . _ go Bed-chamber of Gustavus HI., - - 82 Hall of Contemporaries, - - - 82 Stone Hall, ...... 82 The Queen, ---... 34 Blrger Jarl, 88 An Amazon of the Viking Age, - 90 View on the MSlar Lake, - - - - 92 Statue of Birger Jarl, Stockholm, - 95 Skuru Sund, ------ gg Stockholm, ------ 96 "Vaktparad," ------ 98 The Harbor of Stockholm, - - - 99 The Grand Hotel, - - - - - 100 The Grand Hotel from Norrbro, - 100 The Southern Quarter at Night, - - 104 Skuru Sund, 105 View in Staket, 106 Entrance to Gustafsberg, - - - 107 Dalaro, 108 View from a Summer Villa, - - 109 Carl XrV., 110 Wallen, 113 The European Partridge, - - - 116 Fishing for Salmon at OscarstrOm, - 119 The Falls at OscarstrOm, - - - 119 Old North Gate, Halmstad, - - 121 Market-place and Church, Halmstad, 123 Tivoli Gardens, Halmstad, - - 123 The Swedish Hare, ----- 126 The Swedish Hare in His Winter Coat, 127 A Klapp Hunt, 129 Interior of Peasants Cottage, Province of Skane, 131 Interior of Balastuga Farm-house, Prov- ince of Halland, . - - - 131 Stockholm, General View, - - - IM A View in the Humlegarden, Stockholm, 136 The Elevator, Stockholm, - - - 137 (') LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. PAGE. Fire! 139 Belted Champions, ... - 141 Molin's Fountain, King's Park, Stock- holm, 141 Statue of Linnseus, - - - - 145 Statue of Charles XII., - - - - 145 Statue of Berzelius, - - - 145 Statue of Gustavus Adolphu.s, - - 145 A Stockhohn Milk-cart, - - - 148 Along: Karlaviigen, in Stockholm, - 151 Gustavus Adolphus, - - - - 150 Death of Gustavus Adolphus, - - 157 The Choir of Gustavus Adolphus, - 158 Charles Xn., - 159 Oxenstjerna, 160 Tegner, ...-_.- ifil Jenny Lind, ------ 102 The Palace Chapel, - - _ - 166 The Royal Skathig-rink, - - - 171 Cathedral Hill in Whiter, - - - 173 Saihng on Skates, - . . - 175 The Goddess Skade Hunting Reindeer, 17!l The Kicker, 183 Intei-uational Skating Tournament, - 185 Den Bergtagna, 190 A Swedish Winter Landscape, - - 192 Interior of a Mechanical Gymnastic In- stitute, 194 The Humleg^rden, Stockholm, - 199 St. Jacob''s Kyrka on Christmas Eve, 201 Christmas Mom, - - - - - 202 Christmas Market, . . . . 203 The Christmas Long Dance, - - - 205 Driving to Christmas Matins, - - 206 Christmas Evening in Gothenbtu-g, - 207 The Yule- sheaf, 209 The Cathedral Interior, Stockholm, - 218 Invitation to the Ball, - - - 222 The First Marshal of the Court Receiv- ing Guests, The King and Queen Advancing Up the Grand Gallery, In the "White Sea," . - . - The Queen's Runner, - - - - The Red Salon, ----- The National Museum, Stockholm, - Fortress of Waxholm, Hasselbacken, ------ Statue of Bellman, - . . - Statue of Gusta? III., . - - - An Avenue in the Djurgard, The Palace of Rosendal, Fisher's Cottage in the Stockholm Sktir- gard, Sandhamn, ------ The Eurox)ean Woodcock, Falkenberg, The Main Street of Falkenberg, 228 228 228 228 230 234 230 237 238 241 243 245 251 255 267 PAGE. Baron (^scar Dickson, . - - . 281 Baron A. E. NordenskiOld, - - - 283 The North Cape, ----- 286 The Midnight Sun, - - - . 288 Market of the Green Leaf, Stockholm, 293 Weaving Garlands for the May-pole, - 295 Dancing Round the May-pole, - - 293 Wessige on the Atran, - - - - 300 The Visitmg Officers, - - - - 306 The New Casern, 309 The Swedish Reporter, - - - 329 The Capercailzie, 336 The Black Cock, ^43 The Royal Dining-haU, - - - - 348 The Atelier of the Crown Princess, - 349 The Crown Princess, . . - - 350 The Cro'n-n Prince, - - . . 351 Entry of the Crown Prince with His Bride, 353 The Study of the Crown Princess, - 355 Their Little Royal Highnesses, - - a56 Fredrika Bremer, . - - - geo A Penny at the Gate, . - - - 368 Viifva Yadmal, " Weavin^^ Hnuie.spun," 371 Vi^w from the American Legation, Stockholm, ----- 373 A Mowing-bee in Daleearlia, - - 375 Baking Rye Bread, - . - - 370 The Bread-pole, ----- 377 A Stockholm Baker''s Cart, - - 377 Interior of Peasant's Cottage, - - 378 Market Scene in Winter, - - - 380 The Fortress of Yarberg, - - - 381 Hjalmar's Farewell of Orvar- Odd, - 388 Yiking Foster-brothers, - - - - 393 A Swedish Peasant Bride, - - - 406 A Betrothal in the Province of Skane, 407 A Bridal Procession in the Country, 411 The First Visit to the Old Folks, - 412 Godmother's Visit, . - - - 413 The Eider, ------- 416 The Sea-mew, ----- 423 The Guillemot, - 424 A Fair Wind, ----- 433 Divine Service in the Skiirgard, - - 437 In Grandfather's Sou'wester, - - 440 The Gray Goose, ----- 440 The Auk, 451 A Question, 456 North Gate and AVaU, - - - 460 Powder-tower and Part of the Wall of Visby, - 463 Visby, - - - - - - 465 St. Nikolaus, 465 Valdemar Atterdag Lays Visby LTnder Tribute, 467 Street of St. Hans in Visby, - - 469 Cathedral of St. Maria, - - - 471 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. 9 Sister Churches — St. Lars and St. Drot- ten, 4T3 Helge-ands KjTka, - . . - 475 St. Nikolaus Church, - - - - 477 The Burmeister House, - - - 479 Bit of Land-wall, 481 Ruin of Fortress of Visborg. - - 483 St. Nikolaus Church, Interior, - - 485 Street in Visby, 487 Okl Hanse Dwelhng-house, • - - 489 Door-way of Coi.mtry Church, - 491 Old Sleigh in the Yisby Museum, - 492 Hemse Church During Service, - 493 To the 1800 Citizens of Visby, Slaiuby Valdemar, _ - _ . . 494 Morup's Light, 498 A Bite, ------- 503 Rattvik Maidens, - - - - 506 Vingaker Maiden, ----- 507 Maiden from. Osteraker, - - " 509 Siljan, from Bergsang, - - - - 511 A Church-boat on Lake Siljan, - 512 The Cotter's Sunday Eve, - - - 513 The Portal of Leksand's Church, - 514 Leksand's Church, ----- 515 Margit Hiding Gustavus Vasa. - 517 Mora Church, ------ 519 Vasa Monument, - - - - - 519 Mora Strand, - - - - - - 519 Maiden from Skane, - - - - 520 A Little Girl from Rattvik, - - - 521 A Little Boy from Delsbo, - - 521 Maiden from Vingaker, - - - - 522 Swedish Maiden in Riittvik "Winter Costume, 524 Blekinge Maidens. - - - - 525 Interior of Peasant's Cottage, Parish of Rattvik, - . - . . 537 Interior of Peasant's Cottage, Parish of Delsbo, 527 A Leksand IMaiden, 529 Family from Delsbo. - - - - 530 Christian, the Tyrant, - - - - 5:^4 Stockholm's Blood-bath, - - 53f,i Beheading of Bishop Vincentius, - 538 Driving Bodies to Southern Quarter, - 538 Burning the Bodies, . . - - 540 Drowning the Abbot and Monks at Ny- dala, - - 540 The Castle of Gripsholm, - - - 543 The Barn of Rankhyttan, - - - 544 The Cottage of Ornas, - - - 545 Barn and Monument at Isala, - - 546 "Come Back, Gustafl" - - . 548 King Gustavus Vasa, ... - 550 Brunback's Ferry, . - . - 55I Statue of Gustavus Vasa in Front -heavy loads in the little hay-carts. Along the farther side of the torg, a row of little horses stood between the long joist that had been extemporized into thills for drawing to market the nari'ow loads of lum- ber. And so contentedly all these stubbed little animals stood! Not a horse among them moved, or even winked, till his boards were sold. Wednesdaj' and Saturday are market days in Gothen- burg; and in other squares old women sat in rows behind great masses of HoAvers and vegetables, plums, cherries, and apples. Plump, jjonderous old women they were, wrapped about with many strata of soft, padded clothing, with one thick shawl tied about the head and another pinned ai'ound shoulders and waist. From booths men sold sausages, hams, and American pork. Piles of cheap furniture awaited customers; while all along the granite curbing of the moat were moored rude, broad, lap-streaked sloops, their decks piled high with fire- wood from up-river or along the fjords. The bulky skipper sat on deck, his feet dangling down the little hatchway in 38 SWEDEN AN"D THE SWEDES. the stern, and removed his pipe now and then to replj' to tlie aspersions cast upon his cargo by neat housemaids, who, standing on the curbing witli black silk kerchiefed heads and black kid gloved hands and black silk parasols, were intent on beating down the wood to its loAvest j)ossible terms. Strolling about Gothenbrrrg, j^ou will be sure to come upon the cathedral with its lofty towei'. It is Protestant and Lutheran, of course; but the dean on festal Sun- days wears a red cope and chants a portion of the service, and the church itself is built diagonally across the square, for the choir must face due east, no matter how the obstinate streets may run. One daj^ I took a little steamer south along the coast thirteen miles; thence a carriage conveyed me over picturesque, wooded hills. Among the foliage on a high slope I soon caught sight of the pretty country- seat, Billdal. Three Hags — American, Swedish, and Norwegian — were flying in perpendicular line from the single flag-staff upon the tower. The breeze was strong, the flags flew straight out, and the staff buckled and swayed under its threefold Inirden. And who was that up on the tower, waving his handkerchief in welcome, but Victor Rydberg himself ! ISTow we wheel up across the graveled yard, and Victor claps me on the shoulder; and there is his charming little wife on the winding staircase, and her father and mother just beyond, and lots of relatives streaming forth to greet me. And so we sat down to a grand dinner; and there Avere toasts for America and Sweden, and good old times, STATUE OF GUSTAVUS ADOLPHUi ARRIVAL. . 39 and for everything else anyone conld think of. And after a right royal evening of it, I was escorted to the gnest's chamber that looked out over the hills of Billdal to the distant sea asleep in the moonlight. Next morning I awoke with the consciousness of a pres- ence in the I'oom. I^pon my word, there was a pretty maid, with a pretty kerchief about her head, rifling the pockets of every garment I possessed! You, gentle reader, would have been frightened, no doubt, but I was only re- minded of the good old times. The maiden fair places pocket-book, watch, knife, and keys on the round center- table, and departing with clothes and boots, soon reappears with them nicely brushed. Again she comes softly in with a carafe of fresh water from the spring, and bottles of Seltzer, and places them on the little stand at the head of the bed. "Oh, yes, the day is quite pleasant," she says; "and will Herr Minister have the curtains raised;" And so she cosily moves about, as Swedish house-serv- ants always do, putting everything to rights, and makes her hnal appearance A\ith a tray on which are placed a cup ■of steaming coffee and little squares of sugar in a baby glass saucer, rich cream in a thimble-sized jiitcher, and little rolls and cakes. Victor Rydberg is easily the first living prose writer of the kingdom. He is a profound scholar as well, and the deep and searching investigation he is now giving the myths of Germany and the Northland promise to throw new light not only upon the story of Scandinavia, but of the entire Aryan race. One day in Stockholm I dropped into a bookstore and inquired for the latest good Swedish novel. The proprietor, after some thought and much fumbling among the books, handed me a copy of ''The Last Athenian," by Rydberg. "But bless you," said I, "this can't be new. I trans- lated it into English more than twenty years ago." " Very true." answered the book-seller; "but we've had nothing as good since." 40 SWEDEN AND THE SAVEDES. My last evening in Gothenburg I crossed the river to the great island of Hissingen. The old scow that the ferry- man used to haul slowly across by help of an iron chain was gone, and we now drove over a tasteful bridge. But the VICTOR RYDBERG. rushes where the ducks lay, and the snipe bog l^eyond, I saw, to my sorrow, were fast being covered with factories and warehouses. Turning to the left, we kept on over the low, dark inter- vale, bound for the residence of Dr. Sven A. Hedlund, the Horace Greeley of Swedish journalists. The good Doctor ARRIVAL. 41 has worked up tlie Handels Tidniiuj to l)e oue of the first political and commercial newspapers of the kingdom, and though the snows of more than three-score Noi-thland winters whitened his head, his complexion was still as ruddy and his eye as briglit as a lad"s, and he still worked upon his paper with all the ardor of youth. He is a great liberal, an enthusiast for the right as he sees the I'iglit, pitches into politics in his own way, has been a member of both the hrst and the second house of the Swedish diet, and possesses a heart so big that I am sure no one ever appealed to it for sympathy in rain. He has the courage of his convictions, too, and is never afraid to express his opinion or define his position. " I believe you are growing gray, Hedlund," said the King to him one day, looking at his white hair. "Perhaps, your Majesty, but inside I am as red as ever," answered the radical Doctor, quick as a flash. While I was telling my companion this much about the Doctor, we rolled up to the entrance of Bjursljitt, and its owner came down the walk to meet us, both hands extended and his face radiant with smiles of welcome. "Now you shall see that I have made you immortal," said our host as he led me to where a lofty perpendicular cliflf Availed in one side of the garden, and there, chiseled into the smooth tablet of the rock over which vines were trailing, was my name, close to ' ' Fredrika Bremer ' ' and ' ' Victor Rydberg. ' ' ' ' Here, ' ' said Doctor Hedlund, ' ' I carve the names of my guests whom I will make as imperishable as the rock; and," he added with a twinkle in his eye, " I know you will j^ar- don my not adding the superfluous appendage of ' Junior' to your name, when you reflect that it costs me a crown a letter to hand you down to posterity." It was the twenty-ninth anniversary of the wedding of our host and the good wife at his side, and after dinner on the open veranda, the sons and daughters gathered in the garden below, and in the slowly gathering twilight sang in melodious chorus the songs of the Fatherland, and one 42 SWEDEN AND THE SM'EDES. other sweet song in honor of father antl mother, composed, words and music, by themselves for tliis glad anniversary; and then as the darkness drew on with faltering step, fes- toons of Chinese lanterns were liglited in the garden, and DR, S, A. HEDLUND, from a low, open space rockets blazed into the skj', and set fire-Avorks whizzed aronnd and glowed in changing form and color. Crowds of peasants from the country round aboiit stood outside and p)eered through the palings. They were very ARRIVAL. 43 quiet, except when a long-drawn and admiring "0 — o — o!" was startled from tliem by some liigh-soaring boml) burst- ing with stars of unusual brilliancy. The parents and guests and older members of the family stood grouped near the villa, while the children touched off the fire-works, and there was much good-natured raillery between audience and actors whenever a piece spurted and sizzled and went out, or acted in any other than the instantaneous and brilliant manner always exi^ected from rockets. And so it was late even in the Northland Avlien we bade everybody good-night and drove back to town in the moonlight. WmW'll"'^"' '"■>/» /', — "''»/«S/"7/W7"«V» ^■'J7«?v';>'>'7,j" V/"'" ■T''/»;"~-"i"V""'""' ""> ''/■ ■' ^"i THE NEW MUSEUM OF ART. • ' J"%»f '^^^ SILVER BROOK AT TROLLHATTAN. (44 1 CHAPTER III. ~G-v, ^- THE GOT A CANAL. ^T eleven o'clock of an August evening we walked down to the hai'bor of Gothenburg in the clear \| northern twilight, and went on board the steamer Baltzar Von Platen, lying quietly alongside the stone quay. There was a red glow behind the rocky hills to the north, and the pennants on the Swedish luggers were fluttering in the ghostly light of midnight. We retired at once to our state-rooms. After awhile we were awakened by the sound of the screw in motion, and, turning over, went to sleep again as we steamed up the (rcita River. A pretty little maid awoke us at five o'clock next morn- ing. On deck a prettier little maid served us coffee and sugared kringlor — ring-twisted cakes. A still prettier little maid bowed, and coiirtesied, and smiled, as she announced, " Now have we come to TroUhattan;" and a Avhole group of pretty little maids of the ship leaned over the rail and beamed on all the passengers as we went ashore at Akers- vass. The fountain shot its great white shaft straight into aii', a morning sunbeam tipped the watery plume with fire, and the spray drifted away like a bridal-veil over the grass to leeward. And right up the hill-side went the locks, eleven of them, each one hundred and twelve feet long, partly blasted out of the solid cliflf and partly built with massive blocks of hewn granite. On either side were groves of trees, and looking up from the river the locks appeared like a succes- sion of lofty terraces or a giant stair-case; though neither giants nor angels, but ships, were ascending and descend- (45) 46 SWEDEN AND THE SWEDES. ing, and their topmasts, with little red flags flying, moved strangely along above the green tree-tops. Up the steps of this great rock stair- way vessels from the Wp^'^wmm^l^ North Sea mount to Lake Venern, one hundred and forty- four feet above, and it has always seemed to me that hewing this ship-ladder out of the cliff was a greater achievement than digging through the sands of Suez. THE GOT A CANAL. 47 As we stepped on land we were confronted by a crowd of boys who had been lying in wait for ns. The word " Yag- visare ' ' was printed in gold letters on their caps, and a man in the midst of them, bearing the same legend on his brow and a big stick in his hand, acted as captain or school- master to the Lillipntian host. We declined the services of these guides, but they hopped and scrambled and ran along with us all the same, and smiled, and chatted, and pointed out, and were so pleasant withal, that in the end they received their little fee. Karlekens Stig — the Path of Love — led us through a fra- grant pine grove along the river bank, and brought us out, naturally enough, at HJertats Udde — the Point of the Heart; though why a continuation of the same way should plunge us into Dodens Gang — the Walk of Death — we could not for the life of us make out at that early hour. But we soon ceased i^uzzling our brains on the subject, for, mounting a rocky bluff, the entire falls were before us. Looking uj)-stream we saw the Gota River pouring white down through a gorge in the dark-gray rock. The farther bank was clad with spruces, and at the top of the fall a. rock island, Gullo, stood, bristling with these pointed ever- greens, in the middle of the foaming waters. The river makes a descent of somewhat over one hundred feet, but to accomplish this it rushes down an incline nearly a mile long, and I think Americans would very generally speak of TroUhattan as rapids rather than falls. It is a huge volume of water, however — perhaps the largest of any falls in Europe — that comes tumbling down between these rock cliffs. The Swedes divide the rushing rapids of TroUhattan into five distinct cataracts. The lowest is twenty-five feet high, and is known as Helvetes Fall — HelTs Fall; but the grandest is unquestionably the Tox^po Pall. Half-way up the cataract, the little barren rock Toppo divides the stream. Here the waters come roaring from the rapids above and plunge down a steep incline of forty-two feet. The great boiling mass struck some boulder at the bottom 48 SWEDEN" AND THE SWEDES. and was tossed aloft in slant, foaming jets, each one seem- ing to leap higher than its jDredecessor, and spread ont sprayey wings as it fell over its fallen comrades. We lin- gered directly over this fall, leaning u^jon the iron rail of a little gallery which trembled with the shock of the waters; the spray spurted in our faces, and the roar drowned for- ever a very hne selection of descriptive adjectives which HELL'S FALL, TROLLHATTAN. some of our party had been hoarding expressly for this occasion. Past a huge pile of logs and up a steep hill, we reached the village of TroUhattan, some two miles above where we left the steamer. And, bless my eyes! can it be? Yes, there is the American hag moving along above the Swedish woods; and soon the Baltzar Von Platen swings into view out of the trees, with the stars and stripes flying from her fore- ..M THE GOTA CANAL. 49 "top-mast head. Surely, Captain Hoglund was not behind my other friends in courtesy. And so, up tlie rivers, across the lakes, and through the canals of Sweden, we sailed from Kattegat to the Baltic, our flag waving over us. Once, on meeting a steamboat, we observed quite a commotion on her upper deck, and as she came abreast of us, a tall fellow, leaning over the rail TOPPO FALL, TROLLHATTAN. and swinging his cap, called out, in pure American, ' ' Three cheers for that flag!" and the crowd of tourists around him gave three times three with a will, and a "tiger," and we answered with cheer on cheer. Soon we steamed out upon Lake Venern. At noon, we twisted through a pretty skargard, thickly sprinkled with little rock islands, some of them covered with beautiful groves, others with a single pine spread like an umbrella 4 i O cr O M cc < ^ «-l (_^J THE GOTA CANAL. SI over the bit of wave-waslied rock. It was the sea-shore in miniature. This grand inland water-route across Sweden is called the Gota Canal. But the name canal is misleading. More than fonr-tiftlis of the way yon are sailing upon rivers and lakes or among the islands of the Baltic. The great lakes Venern, Hjelmaren, and Malaren, extend- ing across the larger portion of the peninsula from west to east, are undoubtedly the remains of a sea Avhich in pre- historic times was continuous, and cut off the southern portion of Sweden, making it an island. The canal, though not folloAving exactly the bed of this ancient sea, connects two of its lakes, the Venern and the JMalaren, with the Vettern, Boren, Roxen, and other smaller sheets of water. The sections of canal here and there are in fact but links connecting grand chains of lakes, affording passage from one to the other, and converting Southern Sweden once more into an island. AVhen entering upon a section of the canal you are sur- prised at its size and the solid manner in which it is built. The canal is forty-six feet wide on the bottom, eighty-six on the surface, and ten feet deep. It has seventy-six locks, and your steamer rises to a height of three hundred feet in crossing. Some ten thousand boats of all descriptions — steamers, sailing vessels, and barges — navigate this thor- oughfare annually. But the designation canal-boat will not give an American a correct idea of the size of these craft. You frequently meet a goodly schooner or full-rigged brig sailing on the canal, and the passenger steamers are able, seaworthy, ocean-going boats, fully equal to crossing the Atlantic, if they could take on board a sufficient supply of coal. They are iron steamships, over one hundred feet long, of good beam, and appeared to me much more like ocean-liners than canal-boats. * * Since the above was written, in tlie winter of 1889-90, tliree of these canal steamboats actually sailed across the Atlantic to South America, where they now ply as passenger steamers on the River La Plata. 62 SWEDEX AND THE SWEDES. Once more out upon the open lake, we look back to the stately old episcopal palace Lecko, on the shore of the great island promontory of Kalland. To the south the mountain Kinnekulle raises its gently sloping pyramid toward the clouds, while north and east stretches the unbroken horizon of the lake; for this great inland sea of Sweden is one hundred miles long and fifty broad. There are, in fact, but two larger lakes in all Europe. THE FORTRESS OF KARLSBORG. A Swedish passenger steamer, especially if she hail from Stockholm, is a model of cleanliness, neatness, good taste, and, I had almost said, luxury. A rich, cheerful carpet is laid in the after saloon, every bit of metal-work is polished till it shines, windows are clear as air, furniture and piano gleam, bouquets of fragrant flowers are yj^aced on tables and in niches, and potted plants stand aroirnd the railings. And what a comfortable little nook the hytt, or state-room, is ! Directly under the round window is the wash-stand of polished mahogany, with lid that folds up in THE GOTA CANAL. 53 sections. No bulky bertli over another shuts out light and air; but on either side is a sofa with soft cushions on si:)rings — seat by day and bed by night; while the wall which arches over your head when yoTi lie down is padded with quilted stuffs. The state-rooms are all upholstered in blue or red silk or satin, and I have more than once sus- pected the tall girl wlio sells tickets at Stockholm of con- sidting the complexions of the passengers before assigning them a red or a blue room, with a view of making them harmoniously happy. Now one of our maidens api^ears on the upper deck, her blonde hair blowing in the wind, and, coming close alongside, says, with a conhdential smile, as if she were letting us into some pleasant secret, that dinner is ready. The Swedish steamers are generally full, but were you the only passenger you would still be siire of pleasant com- j)any, for the ship abounds with girls that seem chosen with special reference to tlieir good looks and pleasing ways. The outside of the steamboat is navigated by captain and crew as usual; but the inside — the domestic economy of the craft, so to speak — is managed entirely by the gentler and kindlier sex. There is the restauratris, the lady captain, who stands at the head of the female department, and purchases cream, radishes, and chickens from peasants along the route; the kokerska, with her round, bai'e arms, whom you like to watch peeling potatoes on the low fore deck; the staderska, who makes up your bed so neatly and answers your bell with a smile; the two uppasserskor, that gently wait on you at table, serve you coffee on deck, and strike the match for your cigarette; and many other maidens there be, all of them ready to help you on with your coat or run and fetch your hat, ever solicitous to anticipate your wants, always smiling and courtesying whenever you make your appear- ance, just as if that was the one thing in life that pleased them best. They do not actually pat you and tell you what a good fellow you are, but they look all the time as if they would 54 SWEDEN AXD THE SWEDES. like to, and were just on the point of doing it; and so you walk the upper deck, inhale the fresh air, look out upon the charming views, all the while possessed with the pleas- ant consciousness that, hang itl after all, somehow or other, you must be an object of interest. A placard in the fore saloon informs you in four lan- guages that dinner is served d la table cVhote, and that the charge is, for a gentle- man, 2.25 crowns; for a lady, 1.75 crowns. What a subtle, yet exact, dis- crimination between the capacity of the sexes! and yet I never knew a woman ad^'ocate for wo- man' s equality raise any objection to it. A long account-book, Avith pencil attached bj" a string, hangs on the wall. In this everybody writes down the number of meals and whatever extras he has had, adds up the column at the end of the voyage, and set- tles according to his own figures. Slioidd a for- eigner, however, not care to bother himself with book-keeping, some one of the many maidens will keep his account for him. I never heard a dispute over these bills, and never saw a Swede attempt to take any advantage of the perfect confi- dence shown hi]ii. Next morning we came on deck just as the Von Platen was sailing out of the canal upon the limpid waves of Lake Vettern. To tlie south we could see the long, low ramparts VETTERSBORG- THE CASTLE OF VADSTENA. THE GOTA CANAL. 55 of Karlsborg jutting out into the lake; gray stone towers, some round, others square, rose above the low wall, and on one of them the Swedish flag was flying. Karlsborg is a great entrenched camp, designed to hold twenty thousand men. It is the central fortress of Sweden — its last ditch — and here the gallant Swedes, if worst comes to worst, will make their last fight for Fatherland, could be Nothing- purer or clearer than the limf)id, azure wa- ters of the Vettern. They seem just melted from a blue glacier, or burst from some mountain grotto. Not a speck can be seen in their translucent depths. You wonder how a fish can live here, without a crumb to eat. How can such light, airy waters bear up the iron sliij)? This beautiful lake is more than eighty miles in length from north to south. It is fed by si^rings — is, in fact, a colossal spring pool in a basin of rock — and its buoyant waters are often violently tossed about by the winds. Sometimes, it is said, the surface of the lake is strangely agitated in calm weather, and without any apparent cause. It is this phenomenon, perha^DS, which has given rise to the legend that the Vettern is connected by a subterranean passage with the Boden See, in Switzerland, and tliat when a fierce storm rages on the Swiss lake, its vibrations can be felt on VETTERSBORQ-PORTAL. (66) THE GOTA CANAL. 57" these lickle Avaters of the Northhxnd. So firm are the peas- antry in the belief of this nnder-gronnd connection, that they still tell the story of the corpse of a man who was drowned in the Boden See being fonnd serenely floating on the Vettern. Across the lake, as we sail, is Yadstena. Here rises the massive stone castle of Vettersborg with lofty central spire, and at the corners round towers topped with domes. Its wide moat is filled by the lake, and utilized at the present time as a liarl)or for the little town. If you hurry, you may run across the draw-liridge, while the s;eamer is unloading, and take a glance into the ancient stronghold. Its rooms are bare, and cold, and empty; but how spacious and lofty they are! and what great beams support the ceiling! some of them not even squared — simply big logs with the bark hewed off, and painted with rude designs You pass through the long banq[net-hall and the vast hall of state, and admire the square chapel in the tower, with its pretty rose-window and lofty ceiling, where the four walls are carried upward in four arches, vaulted and groined, and meet at their highest point in the center. This noble castle was built by Gustavus Vasa more than three hundred j'ears ago, and in its halls the stalwart mon- arch, when fifty-eight years old, celebrated his marriage Avith his third wife, Katarina, a blushing bride of sixteen; and this, too, notwithstanding the girl was already betrothed to a noble youth, and ran away and hid herself in her father's garden when the old King came to court her. But the memories that float about the fortress are not altogether x^leasant ones; for here it was that the daughter of Gustavus, Princess Cecilia, carried on her sad amour with Count John, and the window is still pointed out Avhere the King's son, Magnus, the mad prince, flung himself into the lake, lured by the songs of the sirens. Among the packages landed from the steamer was a most natural and friendly looking wooden box. I kicked it over, and the inscription that came into view informed me in good English that it contained two dozen cans of lobster from -58 swedp:n Axn thk swedes. Portland, Maine. I could not shake hands with my fellow- townsman, but I took off my hat to him. " How are you, old hoy« How did you get here? and did you have a pleas- ant voyage? ' ' At Vadstena are two ancient churches, built early in the fifteenth century, and you regret that the Von Platen does not stop long enough for you to inspect them. The cloister church has no steeple, and its huge bulk of blue limestone rises like a great, weather-beaten barn, in sharp contrast witli the high, square tower of its neighbor, built of bright red brick. As you sail north over the Yettern, you keei:) long in view the great blue barn, the red biick tower, and the huge old castle. These three buildings of a by- gone age rise like co- lossi high above the lit- tle town of to-day. Of a truth, "there were giants in the earth in those days." In the sacristy of the blue cloister church, within a reliquary cov- ered with red velvet, lie the remains of holy Saint Birgitta, the most famous woman Sweden ever produced. She was born near the beginning of the fourteenth century, founded the celebrated cloister around whose walls grew up the town of Vadstena, and was canonized at Rome. During all her long life Saint Birgitta had visions in which she believed she sx)oke with Christ, the Virgin Mary, and the saints. Tliese revelations were written down, and fill many volumes, which have been religiously preserved. In the matter of visions, the holy KATARINA STENBOCK, THIRD WIFE OF GUSTAVUS VASA, THE GOTA CANAL. 59 Birgitta seems to be tlie forerunner of lier great eountiy- man, Swedenborg. She states that the rules for her abbey were all prescribed by Christ Himself, and after this it seems a little superfluous to read that they were approved by the Pope. The flrst rule enjoined chastity, humility, and voluntary x^overtj^ No member of the convent could possess the smallest x)iece of money, nor even touch silver or gold, except when neces- sary for embroidery, and then only after permission obtained from the abbess. In obedience to other rules, the nuns ate the simjilest food, fasted three days in the week, were clad in the coarsest garments, and wore a cloak fastened over the breast with a wooden hook. To remind them of their mortality, a 1 lier always stood at the church door, and near the cloister yawned an open grave. Thither these devout women repaired every day, and the abbess threw a handful of earth into the pit, while the sisters rexjeated psalms and prayers. No nun was allowed to speak until after high mass had been celebrated; all intercourse with the world was cut off, except that on prescribed daj^s the sisters might be j)ermitted to sj^eak a few words from certain windows, in the presence of third x^ersons, to x^arents or dear friends standing outside. Sailing on the ox)en lake, in the glad sunshine, it seemed strange indeed that fair ladies, many of them young, rich, and noble, could voluntarily enter ux^on such a life, and that even a queen — Philixjx^a — sought to gain heaven by sacrific- ing within these gloomy walls all that earth could give. It ax^x^ears like the fine irony of fate that what is left of the cloister of Saint Birgitta is to-day used as a mad-house. But the nuns, in their long and lonely hours, learned to make beautiful lace, and although the convent was abolished by the Refonnation, and the last nun driven out, the delicate art of lace-making is still retained by the poxiulace of Yadstena. The xseasant woman that came on board there, with a large basket on her arm, now disx^lays lace collars and cuffs, 60 SWEDEN AND THE SWEDES. caps and liandkercliiefs. I am siii'e you will buy some of the lace kerchiefs, for they are very pretty, the best in all Sweden, of odd designs that you will lind nowhere else, and they will answer so nicely for j^resents to your lady friends when you get back to America; and, what is more. VADSTENA CLOISTER, AS IT APPEARED IN THE FIFTEENTH CENTURY. everylxxly will think they cost four times what you pay for them. You have scarce concluded your purchases when the steamer glides into the quiet canal at Motala. Here you may walk for two miles along the water-way, beneath rows. of stately trees and by the side of pretty gardens, and only your steamer sailing past reminds you that you are not in some royal park. THE GOTA CANAL. 61 But you need not hurry; there is time to look at the grave of Baltzar Von Platen. In the little inclosure under the whispering elms, tliei'e sleeps the strong man who con- structed this great water thoroughfare across Sweden, on the spot he himself pointed out — " By the billows he has fash- ioned, by the strand his hand has built." Farther on along the canal you may pull yourself across by the dingy lit- tle ferryboat that works with a chain, and, drop- ping into the im- mense machine- works, see the giant steam ham- mer "Yrede" — "Wrath''— crush with its mighty stroke an ingot of red-hot steel, and hurl a shower of glowing sparks broadcast over the room. And you still have plenty of time to catch the steam- boat before she has descended the five locks at Borenshult. There is a group of girls alongside the Von Platen; and how pretty they are in their picturesque cos- tumes! But as you come nearer and get a good look at them, why, how painfully plain! And this, too, in Sweden! One of their number is on board the boat. She is covered with bouquets that form a broad floral V over her breast from VADSTENA NUN MAKING LACE 62 SWEDEN AND THE SWEDES. shoulders to waist. But she is crying piteously, and her comrades, standing on the granite curbing of the lock and leaning over the ship's I'ail, are patting her and kissing her all over her plain, tear-bedewed face, and telling her to cheer up, and never mind, and it's all for the best. Oh, yes! they were from a female seminary in the neigh- borhood, and the girl on board was the sole graduate, and, notwithstanding she must have taken the highest honoi's in her class, tlie poor thing was heart-broken at parting with her dear school- mates, and they had decorated her with flowers, and had come down to the boat to bid her a royal, Swed- ish farewell. Verily, they began to look beautiful to my eyes. Now the gates of the lowest lock swing open, and the Von Platen steams out full speed upon placid Lake Boren. The school-girls gather on the pier, and, whip- ping out their hand- sAiNT biRGiTTA. kcrchicfs, wave, and wave, and wave, as only Swedes can wave, their good wishes after their depart- ing friend, who leans despondent over the taff rail, and waves in return. A quarter of an hour later, looking astern, I saw the girls were still waving, though their kerchiefs seemed but little white points moving against tlie green embank- ment of the canal. But I was not satisfied about the looks of these school- girls. I had my own ideal regarding Swedish beauty, and it had suffered a severe shock. Later in the afternoon. 1^ THE GOTA CANAL. 63 while walking the deck with a worthy burgher of Stockholm, I confided to him, hesitatingly, the blow to m_y feelings. "Ja sa! is that all?'' said he. "I can make that all right. You see, two old maid sisters originally kept this school. 5fi>!. i'vf "rWl> -r-V ^^*< W^' J ^lllfc. ^ aauK^.. . LOCK AT SODERKOPING. They quarreled and separated. One took all the pretty gii'ls, and the other all the ugly ones, and those we saw to- day were choice if^' I'epresentatives of -Jl tlie latter school!"' T fervently thanked tills estimable citi- zen; my shattered vase was whole once mort'. At Berg our steamer VIEW FROM BERG, OVER LAKE RoxEN. desceudcd tlirougli fif- teen locks to Lake Roxen, and we occupied the two hours of her descent in taking a stroll to Vreta Klosterkyrka, which stands on a knoll in the green fields, surrounded by a pretty grove. It '64 SWEDEN" AND THE SWEDES. is not ten minutes' walk from the canal, and well repays a visit. This handsome church is built upon the ruins of an older one, which belonged to the Cistercian Cloister, founded here in the twelfth century. In this monastery lived Ebba Leijonhufvud in her widowhood, and here she died in 1549. She was the mother-in-law of the great Gus- tavus Vasa, but she would not abjure Catholicism for all that, and our guide mentioned, as a touching instance of filial affection, that Gustavus did not pull down the cloister THE LOCKS AT BERG. till after the old lady' s death. We were shown a crumbling bit of the old monastery wall. It was pierced by one for- lorn little arched window or embrasure some two feet high, and scarcely more than four inches wide on its inner narrow side. Within the church, the gilded crown suspended over several tombs indicates their royal occuj)ants. There are monuments to King Inge and his queen, Helena; to Kings Ragvald Knaphcifde and Valdemar Birgersson, and to the Danish prince, Magnus Nilsson. Looking through an iron THE GUI A OANAL. 65 grating into one of the chapels, you see live cofRns piled one upon another in the form of a pyramid. They contain the remains of members of the Douglas family. In the upper cofiin lies the body of Robert Douglas, who died in Sweden in 1662. He was one of the great Clan Douglas of Scot- land, but a younger son, and consequently a free-lance. He came to Sweden, joined the army of Gustavus Adol- phus, fought bra\'ely in the Thirty Years' War, was made a Swedish count, and his descendants to this day are among the highest of the nobility of this kingdom. We sauntered back to the canal by another road, past the red gastgifvaregard of Berg, one of the best of the country inns of Sweden, and, standing on the green hill-side, do\vn which the locks sank in terr;ices to the Roxen, en- joyed the wide view over the tranquil lake. Soon we were steaming out upon its broad surface in the gatheiing twi- light. Behind us, to the north, were the ample, green slopes of the i:)leasant estate of Kungsbro, lying Avliere the Motala stream falls into the lake, and at one time owned by Gus- tavus \'asa; while to the south the tall, graceful spire of the vast cathedral of Linkoping rose gi-andly above the city at its feet. The third morning of the trip found the Baltzar von Platen sailing among the pretty wooded islands of the Baltic Sea. At noon we entered the deep-cut canal at the village of Sodertelje. Slowly we wound along between high, green banks. The midday sun poured down upon us and flooded the gorge with light and warmth. The flags on the summer villas hung idly, and crowds of villagers, smai"t in Sunday attire, strolled along the banks abreast the slow-moving boat, and gazed upon the strange, foreign flag at the fore. At the lock, neat old women, with kerchiefs swathed about their faded cheeks, came on board with baskets full of ring- twisted cakes, and everybody bought a paper bag piled full; for are not Sodertelje kringlor the best in Sweden, and does not the fame thereof All all the land* Then we steamed on over the great Malar Lake, lying only eighteen inches higher than the Baltic. We sailed between 5 66 SWEDEN AND THE SWEDES. craggjf, wooded shores, and among numberless wooded islands, with prett}^ villas peeping out from their evergreen nests, and flags flying everywhere; and family groups clustered on the shores, and pleasure parties sailing and rowing in gaily painted boats, and kerchiefs waving from boat and shore, and songs floating over the water; and on past the King's hat on a pole atop the cliff, and at last saw rising grandly before us the domes and spires of Stockholm. "'""""" " ""■■"" '"""' '-' '"^";-^ n.::- . . • e .;^jt-,^^^9^^9 M W I '' l4,'S#C ^ VilTtiW *"' ^ ^ Mi ■ 1 ^: ^ l^^^'K^^mit '^"^ ' ■ ■■"--^- ■ -' .>' -i^ 1 4-.^-^^>>^:^r ^^5 MP WKtuu^^^M^'^^Jmigj^ k^ m W- .juimg — — ^ "^( W(S ^rr^'^p' W ^^ffiB Hl^HSiL^^' ; ■.. 1 K jflRini __^-sa ■■■ ■■■'';j J^^^^^KJIk^v /v-^ :■ ,;. _ ■ ^-i'-'sa^^l* 1^^" ' ;i>l*^t'' f human activity has achieved a position of iirst rank. ' ' I am also happy to receive the greetings you have brought from the President and people of the United States. That land which takes to itself so many of the sons and daughters of the Scandinavian Peninsula, and which is their second home, has a special claim upon our interest and regard. ""It is also my lively desire to maintain and draw uKn-e closely together the bonds of friendship, already a century old, between the United Kingdoms and the United States of America. And I am confident that you, Mr. Minister, wlio come hither with a love for the people of Sweden and Norway founded on old acquaintance, will well and worth- ily till your mission among us. Upon my cooperation to this end, you may ever rely." During the delivery of this speech, the King kept looking into his chapeau. As he concluded, he took tlie manu- script of his address out of the depths of his military hat and handed it to me with a x>leasant bow, saying: "You 72 SWEDEX AND THE SAVEDES. may make use of my speech, Mr. Minister, anywhere you clioose to make rise of yonr own." Then, changing instantly from a formal to a friendly attitude, he shook hands Avith me warmly, saying in Swedish: "And now heartily welcome back to Sweden." "Come," he said, still retaining my hand, and drawing me toward a chair, "sit down, and let us have a good talk." So we had a very pleasant conversation about the good THE ROYAL F'ALACE, b'OCKHOLtvl old times when I was in Sweden before, when the King \\ as Prince and I was consul. ' ' We are all pleased, ' ' said this politest of monarchs, " to have you back again in Sweden; we shall take good care of you, and see that you have a pleasant time." At last His Majesty arose, and as he shook hands at part- ing, told me not to leave the capital, as he should soon have a message to send me, and should soon see me again. As I bowed myself out, the door opened behind me as if of its own accord, and the geiitlemen-in-waiting were kind enough to say that my speech was the first one ever made on such an occasion by foreign minister to Swedish King in the Swedish language. CHAPTER y. A ROYAL DIXNEB. ^HE message from the King soon came, and was a very pleasant one. It was an invitation to dine with His Majesty on the 12tli of September, at the summer palace of Drottningholm. invitation from the King is a command. It is not to be declined exce^it for most weighty and unavoidable cause. But tlie chief reason, after all, why one would never decline an invitation from the King of Sweden, is the enjoy- ment of being entertained by so charming a host. This dinner was given in honor of the Minister of Japan and myself. We had arrived in Sweden at the same time, and had been received by the King on the same day. A drive of seven miles, the last part of the way through a statel}^ grove of sprnce trees, brought us to a floating- bridge. Over this we clattered, and, driving through an avemie of lofty poplars, drew up at the land entrance of the palace of Drottningholm — Queen's Island. This sx^acious and beautiful suburban palace was built in the latter part of the seventeenth century, by Queen Hedvig Eleonora, widow of Charles X. It is the favorite summer residence of the present royal pair, and here they pass the late summer and early autumn of every year. From the east front a garden slopes gently down to the Malar Lake, over which are lovely views to the wooded shores beyond; while from the steps of the western entrance, which we ascended, the eye roams over a long plain of great, square grass-plots, intersected by broad and graveled paths, adorned by flowers, statues, and a fountain, and bounded on either side by allees of noble trees stretching away in straight lines to a wooded hill, which flUs up the vista, and from whose top a marble (73) 74 SWKDEN AXJ) Tllj; SWEDES. image of Flora gleams white from out the green wood. The wide and loftj'' vestibule of tlie isalace, with its double stair- case mounting to tlie gallery above, and its sculptures and frescoes, is one of the finest entrances I have ever seen — a masterpiece of Tessin, the younger. We were conducted to tlie left from the vestibule, and after passing through a number of apartments, entered a large, square room, where we were received by the first marshal of the court. Count Rosen. Some thirty Swedish gentlemen were already assembled, and Count Rosen intro- duced them to the Japanese Minister and myself. They were all titled dignitaries, many of them high officers of PALACE OF DROTTNINGHOLM. state. We were also pi'esented to the two maids of honor of the Queen, Misses Eketra and Stjerncrona, beautiful young ladies, with manners quiet and unaffected, yet digni- fied. Entering into conversation with Miss Eketra, I found she spoke English without any foreign accent or hesitation, and was as much at home upon American affairs as a grad- uate of Vassar College. Soon three princes entered — tall, handsome young men, of whom any father might well be proud. We were pre- sented to them — Oscar, Carl, and Eugen. Prince Oscar's countenance indicates coolness, nerve, and power. Like his father, whose name he bears, he has been educated a sailor. He has conscientiously performed all the duties of the different grades of the service through which he has A ROYAL DINNER. 75 risen, and is now (1890) ' ' Captain Commander ' ' in tlie navy. In 1888, Prince Oscar astonislied all Sweden by voluntarily resigning liis right of succession to the throne, and all his royal titles and prerogatives, that he might wed the choice of his heart, a Swedish subject, the loving and lovely Miss Ebba Munck. Prince Carl is a gallant cavalryman — a young giant, standing six feet six in his stockings. When clad in the blue and silver uniform of his regiment, and dashing along on his black stallion, one must travel farther than I to find a handsomer officer. All the ladies are in love with him, and his free-and-easy off-hand manners make him very popular with his brother officers and the poimlace. But Prince Carl is much more than an agreeable gentleman. Both with his regiment and upon the ' ' General Staff, ' ' he has shown himself to be a hard-working and accomplished officer, and he has mastered all the duties of the different l^ositions to which he has been assigned in the army, with the same diligence and success that has attended his brother Oscar in the naval service. Prince Eugen, the youngest son, had just completed his eighteenth year. He is a hard student. His expressive and mobile features indicate rare intelligence and refinement. One can easily see in him a strong likeness to his grand- father Bernadotte, Marshal of France. Prince Eugen has more recently developed a remarkable talent in painting, and is now (1890) hard at work in his studio at Paris, and making rapid progress in the art he loves. I predict for this Swedish prince a high and honored place among the artists at the capital of France. The Crown Prince and Princess were absent, paying a visit in Denmark. At exactly six o'clock, and while I was answering some pleasant inquiries of Pri-nce Eugen, a large door opened, and the King and Queen appeared in the door-way. I say appeared, but that is not the word at all. Neither King nor Queen ever enters a room or advances like any- body else. There is always the swinging open of doors by unseen hands, and the royal pair suddenly burst upon you PRINCE OSCAR. (76) ■iii MISS EBBA MUNCK, Who married Prince Oscar and becanne the Princess Bernadotte. (T7) 78 SWEDEN AND THE SWEDES. with a startling effect, like a rocket bursting upon tlie darkness of night. Instantly everybody faced Their Majesties and made a profoimd bow. The King advanced into the room with the Queen leaning upon his arm. After speaking with the Minister of Japan, they passed along to me. A very pleas- ant smile lit up the King's face. "How are you?" he said, in good English, as he took me by the liand. He then piesented me to the Queen, saying toiler in Swedish, "Han talar Svenska lika bra som du'- — " He speaks Swedish as well as you do." The Queen bowed as any good hostess woiild, and then shook hands with me — an act which some hostesses I know hold themselves as too nice to do. Her manner was quiet and gentle, and her bearing distinguished by its repose. Queen Sophie is deeply religious. She abounds in good works, and much of her time and substance is spent in aid- ing deserving charities. Above all, she is a good wife and mother, and has brought up her four sons literally ' ' in the nurture and admonition of the Lord," and they are in truth her brightest jewels. Soon the King, with the Queen still on his arm, led the way to the dining-hall. The eldest prince present, Oscar, with a maid of honor came next; then the Governor of Stockholm with the other maid, and after them the two remaining princes, Carl and Eugen. The Minister of Japan, Yosimoto Hanabusa, and his sec- retary, K. Ftatsbashi, were escorted by the first marshal, and I by the grand master of ceremonies of the court, Baron Palmstierna. We were followed by some forty Swedish gentlemen. The dining-room was very long and quite narrow. Upon one side was a row of windows looking out upon the Malar Lake; the other was covered with a succession of historical paintings, such as one sees at Versailles. One long table extended down the narrow hall. As we entered, the chairs stood all drawn well back from the table. Behind every two chairs was a lackey, with a PRINCE CARL. ('•9; PRINCE EUGEN, (80) A KOYAL DINNER. 81 hand on each, and as soon as we ti)ok our places the chairs were pushed forward under us with a nicety. Tlie King and Queen took tlieir seats as soon as they readied tliem, and tlie rest of tlie company immediately afterward, as they arrived at the places to which they were assigned. The royal pair sat side by side at the center of the table, the Queen being on the King' s right. Two princes sat on their mother s right; the other prince, the Governor, and the two maids of honor on the King's left. Directly opi^osite the King, across the long table, sat the first marshal of the court, a stately gentleman over six feet in height. At the right of the marshal sat the Japanese Minister; on his left, myself; while on my left was the chief master of ceremonies. This brought me dii'ectly opposite the Queen. Behind the King stood his hunter, a magnifi- cent fellow, resplendent in a uniform spangled with silver. Behind the Queen stood her runner. The queens of Sweden from time immemorial have had an attendant called a lopare, or runner. In the good old days the lopare always ran at the side of the royal carriage whenever the Queen drove out, keeping- pace with the horses. Good runners these fellows were, too. The story is still told of a lopare in the time of Gustaf III., who ran from Drottningholm to Stockholm — seven miles — when the Queen attended opera.; whereupon, as the night was chilly and he feared that he might become stiff in his incomparable legs if he rested, the lopare kept on running up and down through the streets of the cai)ital till the opera was over, and then, fresh as a daisy, ran beside the royal equipage as fast as the horses could trot back to Drottning- holm again. But nowadays the lopare rides on the Queen' s carriage, serenelj^ perched up behind. In fact, I strongly suspect that the one thing above all others the runner does not do is to run. The fellow I was looking at across the King's board was surely all too portly and grand to move in anything but the most dignified manner. But one thing the runner always does — he stands behind the Queen at state dinners. 6 BED-CHAMBER OF GUSTAVUS III 2. HALL OF CONTEMPORARIES 3. STONE HALL All in Drottningholm Palace, (82) A ROYAL DINNEK. 83 He had on a lofty cap of black fur, wliich rose high above his head, like the bear-skin cap of a grenadier. From the left side of his imposing head-piece, and directly above his left ear, there towered into air fonr colossal ostrich plumes, ris- ing at least three feet above his head. Two of these phimes were blue and yellow, the national colors of Sweden; two were white and red, making, togetlier with the blue phime, the red, white, and l)lue colors of Norway. The dinner consisted of twelve courses, besides the des- sert. A large menu, printed in gold, lay beside each plate. Except the dessert and soup, all the plates v.'ere of massive silver. Everything was deliciously cooked, and, of course, with a waiter to every two persons, excellently sei'ved. Every dish was passed the King by his huntei-, and to the Queen by her runner. The King, Queen, and princes were very giacious, and kept up an animated conversation with tlie Minister of Japan and myself. Soon the conversation grew general, and rose in a pleasant low hum of voices all around the royal board. In speaking of railroads, the King remarked that his kingdoms would soon have the most northern road on the globe. It will run across both Sweden and Norway, con- necting the head of the Gulf of Bothnia with the Arctic Ocean, and most of it will be built beyond the Aictic Circle. His Majesty also called our attention to the fact that, although Sweden was late in commencing to l)uild her roads of iron, yet to-day she possessed more miles of railroad in proportion to her population than any other country in the world. In the course of the evening, the King was kind enough to say: "'1 esteem it an honor that the President of the United States has sent to my court an American who can speak the language of my country." Then we talked of President Arthur. His Majesty was interested to hear all about him. "Do you know the President personally- T" asked the King. THE QUEEN. (84) A ROYAL DINNER. 85 " O, yes! I have that honor." ' 'And does he know that yon have been in Sweden before, and speak our language % " "Certainly he does. It was for this very reason he appointed me I " " Then," said His Majesty, "I esteem it a double honor that he has sent you to my court. And," after a pause, "write him and tell him so"— tapping his left breast significantly with his right hand — ' ' from me. ' ' " Now," said the King, filling his glass, "your very good health. Welcome to Scandinavia and my court; may you thrive among us." He then drank off the goblet to the last drop, and raised the empty glass aloft as he gracefully bowed to me. His Majesty had previously drank the health of my colleague from Japan. The Queen was much interested in our great Yellowstone Park, and quite curious to learn about our misguided breth- ren, the Mormons. It was difficult for her to believe that any such sect could exist in a Christian country. Prince Oscar Avas just about starting in a war vessel for a cruise around the world, and it was hoped by both the Queen and Prince that, after rounding Cape Horn, he would be able to sail up the Pacific Coast as far as San Francisco, in which case he would make a visit to the Mormons and to the Park. When the cruise came to be made, however, the time proved too short to allow of this detour, and the Piince sailed direct from South America across the Pacific Ocean. The dinner occupied nearly two hours. Watching the royal pair, we all rose as they did. Then each one folded his hands in front of him, and all bowed low around the board. We left the hall in the same order we had entered. Once, in the salon, as the King passed by me he took my hand and whispered in my ear, ' ' Wi ska' nog bli goda van- ner" — "We shall certainly be good friends." In about half an hour after dinner the roj'al pair with- drew. The company all stood facing them, and bowed low as the King and Queen bowed to us on leaving. Soon after, we shook hands with the princes, maids of honor. Count Rosen, 86 SWEDEN AND THE SWEDES. the the Baron Palmstierna, and other gentlemen of the court, and then passed out. The lackeys in the hall helped us on with our overcoats. Our carriages rolled up to the grand jjortal over the crisp gravel, and we were off. The night was clear and still, and the air soft and mild. The bright, full moon lit up all the lake, save where the woods on the farther shore cast their dusky shadows toward us. Out on the silver flood a boat was pulling down the lake; each splash of the oars sent waves of molten silver to either strand. Then someone on board twanged a guitar, and a clear, manly voice sang a song of Fatherland. A few days afterward I wrote President Arthur as King had directed, and in due course of mail received following reply : Executive Mansion, Washington, October 27, 1883. My Dear Mr. Thomas : It has given me much pleasure to have your letter of the 15th of September, and to receive the kind message which the King has been pleased to send me. Pi'ay be good enough to express to His Majesty the friendly sentiments 1 entertain for him, and assure him of the personal gratification it has been to me to know of the distinguished consideration with which he has received the representative from this country. I am, very faithfully yours, Chester A. Arthite. I hastened to communicate these kindly expressions of our President to the King, who was much gratified to receive them. CHAPTER VI. THE FOrXDIXG OF STOCKHOLM. ^HEN Stockholm was first settled, no man knows. Sigtuna, Biika, and Upsala were each the capi- M tal of Svea Land before Stockholm had come to i be a place of note. But, without doubt, long- before the dawn of historj-, the wild hunters and fishermen of the Northland built theii' huts upon the wooded islands at the outflow of the Malar Lake, and we catch glimpses of the spot shimmering forth from among the early sagas. The tale of old King Agne always pleases me. It is the earliest saga of Stockholm, and comes down to us from a time so remote that surely, in the old legal phrase, ' ' The memory of man runneth not back to the contrary." And why, forsooth, should we not believe the sagas ''. There is no opposing evidence, so they have at least a inima- facie case. One day in the late summer, Agne, the great Upsala King, so the saga runs, came sailing in from the Baltic with his flotilla of dragon ships, and anchored below the island which now forms the center of Stockholm. Agne was returning from a viking foray to the eastward against King Froste. The expedition had been a fortunate one for the King of the "lofty halls." He had slain Froste, rav- aged his kingdom, and the Ui:)sala ships wei'e laden with booty and thralls. Among the latter were King Froste's son, Loge, and daiighter, the beautiful Skialf. Now, the Upsala monarch possessed many of the genial attribirtes which distinguished "Old King Cole," and he would fain make merry on the beautiful wooded isle near which his fleet rode at anchor. By his orders, a spacious tent was erected beneath a wide-spreading oak, on a low, ■illiJlMtJlMtom BIRGER JARL. Early Stockholm m Background, (88) & THE FOUNDING OF STOCKHOLM. 89 level cape that ran out from tlie island toward the south, and sticks of invitation were sent by swift runners to the chieftains round about to gather at a royal banquet, and to take heed that they brought a goodly store of meat and drink with them. The postal system of that day was defective in many par- ticulars; but upon the outbreak of war, and possibly ui^on so great an occasion as King Ague' s feast, we may be certain that the sticks uj^on wliich messages were cut in runes were passed around from chieftain to chieftain with all the promi^tness which distinguishes our special delivery sys- tem ; for one end of the stick was burnt, and to the other Avas attached a noose, by which tokens anyone who received them was rudely but emphatically informed that he would be hanged and his house burnt did he not forward the summons with all due diligence to the next gentleman. So, a large and distinguished company gathered under the royal tent on the low landspit by the Baltic, for here it was King Ague's intention to celebrate his nuptials with his fair captive, Princess Skialf. But the charming bride besought the King to hold first a funeral banquet in honor of her slain father. King Froste; and she prayed so long and piteously for this mark of respect to her dead sire, that her prayer at last found favor even with her father's bane, who was also her lover. And perhaps Ague was nothing loath to grant her petition, for when was viking ever known to pass by an occasion for feasting ? King Ague therefore decreed that both festivals should go together hand in hand, the "grave -ale" first, and then the wedding banquet, and linked together so closely that the "funeral baked meats" might warmly "furnish forth the marriage tables." So all took their places around the royal board to celebrate the funeral banquet of King Froste, father of the bride. "Now it is well known," says the saga, "that wherever grave-ale was drunk, it was poured down right heartily;" and in this case the drinking-horn was passed from hand ■^M- r^' V ■ AN AMAZON OF THE VIKING AGE. (90.) THE FOUNDING OF STOCKHOLM. 91 to hand around the table so rapidly, and emptied with such diligence, that soon all were drunk as jjipers. King Ague wore a long and massive chain of gold. It was an heir-loom, and the King exhibited it around his neck and on his breast, with all the pride of the Lord Mayor of London. When all had Avell drunk, the rough, Northern warriors began to display some of their Berserker antics. Whereupon the blushing bride whispered to her groom and master that he should be more careful of his precious gold necklace, or he might drop it in the tumult. '•What a dear little wife I have got," thought the King; "so isrudent, and so careful of me and my ornaments." So he wound the chain several times about his neck, till he felt it would be impossible for it to fall off. Eeassured, he con- tinued the drinking bout with his guests, in good old North- ern style, till no one could drink more. Whereat they all fell back from the table prone upon the ground, to sleep off the fumes of the mead. But Skialf and her fellow-prisoners had only pretended to drink. They now were sober and awake. The princess made one end of a ship' s rope fast to the outer coil of the strong gold chain her lover had wound so securely around his neck; the other end she passed out under the tent to her brother Loge and the other captives outside. They immediately cast the line over one of the stoiit branches of the great oak overhead. The tent was thrown down, and the next moment King Agne dangled high in air among the branches of the tree, hung by his own gold chain. So the princess avenged the death of her father; so the beautiful Skialf became King Ague's bane. Then prince and princess and all the caj^tives went on board the fleet, weighed anchor with no one to hinder, and sailed safely home to their native land. When the drunken vikings awoke, they found that, instead of a wedding, they had another burial on their hands. So they burnt the King's body upon a royal funeral pyre on the low, green cape. They placed his ashes in an urn, and over this raised a great mound, and drank right royally their monarch's 92 SWEDEN AND THE SWEDES. grave-ale. And the spit of land where these great events took place was called Agne's nas as long as any naze remained. It seems probable that Agne's naze was, in fact, not a cai)e, but a low-lying neck of land, and that it united the large island now known as Staden with the southern main. Some five hundred years after the time of this saga, in 1007, the Norwegian King Olof Haraldson (the Saint Olof of the church) found that he and his fleet had been shut uj) VIEW ON THE MALAR LAKE, (From a Pain-ling by Edv. Bergh.) in the Malar Lake by chains stretched across Norrstrum, ;iT that time the only outlet, by his rival, Olof Skotkonung of Sweden. Saint Olof therefore dug a ditch across the narrow Ague' s nas, down Avhich the waters of the Malar, rushing to fall into the Baltic, soon wore a wide channel, and then a wider sound, through which the King and his ships escaped. But Agne's nas, and his mound, his urn and ashes, and his fatal gold chain, were washed away forever. Several legends tell of the founding of Stockholm. Most of them take their rise in the city's name. Holm we have mA THE FOUNDING OF STOCKHOLM. 93 plainly enough in the island Staden, or, perhaps, more correctly, in the consecrated soil of Helo-eands-liolm; but whence comes the Stock? That is what the sagas endeavor to exx^lain. For myself, I always discarded, with a certairi sense of injury inflicted upon the city, and my poetic feelings for her, the idle tale that, because some of the houses near the water were built on piles, therefore, these were the stocks that gave name to the city. But there is another legend, which is a delight. In the twelfth century, robber fleets from the East sailed into the Malar, and i^lundered and destroyed the rich and ancient city Sigtuna. The despoiled inhabitants gathered their few remaining ornaments and jewels, placed them in a dug-out stock, and threw this into the Malar Lake. This great jewel-case, left to the mercy of the winds and waves, drifted out upon the water. With eager eyes, the houseless dwellers of Sigtuna followed on in their boats. On and on, mile after mile, floated the stock down the Malar, and at last drifted to land at the island of Ague's nas. Here, then, the gods of chance had pointed out the dwelling-place. Here the people built the city, and the holm where the stock landed became, of course, Stock- holm. And there be other sagas of the founding of the city. I never believed any of them, for I liked this one the best. And why should not one please himself in such matters' Early Stockholm could not have been a comfortable place to dwell in. It was frequently plundered and de- spoiled by the attacks of pirates and hostile tribes, and was once entirely destroyed by the Esths and Karelians, in their notable invasion in 1181. Grim old Birger Jarl, king in everything but name, saw the importance of the islands of Stockholm as "a lock for the Malar Lake." This noble sheet of water is eighty miles in length; its long arms extend far into the interior of Sweden, both north and south, and a thousand islands dot its surface. Its banks are among the most thickly settled 94 SWEDEN AND THE SWEDES. and beautiful portions of the kingdom, and a lively com- merce sails upon its waters. The surface of tlie lake is usually but a foot or a foot and a half above the sea. The fall is slight, it is true, but the mass of water is so great that it pours down a long incline with a broad, powerful current, and just where the stream is strongest, it is broken and divided by the three central islands of Stockliolm, which compress the outlet into narrow channels between themselves and the adjacent shores of the mainland to north and south. In the middle of the thirteenth century, there was already a considerable population upon these islands, drawn hither by tlie natui'al facilities offei'ed by tlie place to commerce. In 1255, strong Birger, tlie Jarl, having resolved to lock up the Malar from hostile fleets, built walls and towers of granite around the settlements on the largest island. Fi-om the highest cliff he raised a lofty, round, stone tower — Karnan — in truth, "the kernel" of his city, his fortiflcations, and his castle. The far-seeing Jarl gave the fortified town the privileges of a city. He made it the capital of Sweden, and his power and influence drew thither both population and trade. Birger' s great son, who deserved the name Magnus, and who took the title of King his father had refused, com- pleted the Avork the Jarl had so well begun. The three islands of Stockholm became one great, com- pact fortification. The Miliar — the north and south streams — and the Baltic surrounded it on every side with a moat larger and grander than man ever built; and the two avenues to the nurinland, on either hand, were draw- bridges that i^assed through strong towers, and could be raised at any moment. So stood Stockholm througli the Middle Ages — a vast fortress rising out of the northern seas; a lock not only for the Malar Lake, l)ut for all Svea Land. Stockholm, as a city, dates from the year 1255, and is proud to acknowledge old Birger Jarl as its founder. On Riddarholmen, the citizens of the capital have ei'ected a THE FOUNDING OF STOCKHOLM. m monument in his honor. Un a marble, pillai' stands a bronze statue of the Jai'l, chid in the rude armor of his time. With helm -covered head, shiekl at his side, and hands resting on his sword, tlie grim old warrior looks down to-day ui^on a city grander and more beautiful than he ever in life imagined. STATUE OF BIKGER JARL, STOCKHOLM. (96) CHAPTER yil. FIRST DATS IN STOCKHOLM. ^OR centuries, Stockholm was i)ractically confined to ^1 tlie three fortified islands in the stream. The few [^ huts and cottages that were built u^Don the mainland were swept away Avith every hostile incursion; and, indeed, the rulers of those days did not favor the erection of any structures wdiich might cover the approach of a foe against Stockholm " within the Inidges." ISTot until the Danes had been driven out of Sweden by Gustavus Vasa, in 1523, did Stockholm obtain a firm foot- ing upon the mainland. In the middle of the seventeenth century, the heroes of the Thii-ty Years' War came ti'ooping home with booty, as well as glory, and did much to build up and beautify their capital. The royal palace was completed in 1754; and in the latter part of the last century, Gustaf III. built the opera-house opposite, across the North Stream, where he was afterward shot at a masquerade-ball. And yet, throughout the six centuries from Birger Jarl to Bernadotte, the advance of Stockholm was very slow% and as late as 1840 it numbered but 84,000 inhabitants. The rapid growth of Stockholm did not begin till our own time, 1873. In 1883, the northern capital had increased to 175,000. Since then it has been growing with the rapidity of an American western city. Its advance aver- ages some 10,000 a year, and at this writing (1890) it counts, in round numbers, 250,000 inhabitants. From its media3val stronghold in the stream, the capital of the Northland has extended upon the adjacent isles in the Baltic and Malar, and on the mainland to the north and south. Everywhere, all around its borders, you see it pusli- 7 (97) 98 i^WEDKN AND THE SWEDES. iiig out and building up. The new streets are broad and open, sometimes with a long park in the center, and at night are well lighted with electric lamps. Vast blocks of lofty, commodious, and elegant houses are rising on every hand. But the moment you. pass beyond the scaffolding of the last new house you step at once into the green woods. All round about Stockholm is either the sea or the forest; and the tall, green woods of noble pine, spruce, and oak stretch away from the borders of the city on the main, mile on mile, seemingly unbroken save by a rugged cliff or smiling ' VAKTPARAD.' stretch of water, or perchance a pretty villa here and there. This great city is girdled by the evergreen forest, flowed through by a mighty river, and washed by the lake above and the sea below. Stockholm is frequently called "the Venice of the North;" but, except that there is water everywhere, the comparison does not seem to me a happy one. The bold rock bluffs of Scandinavia have nothing in common with the low-lying islands of the Adriatic; nor do the bright, crisp, curling waters of the f jards ever remind you of the dreamy C09) 100 SWEDEN AND THE SWEDES. languor of the lagoons. Then there are few narrow canals at Stockholm; her water-reaches are nearly all broad and ample. Nor do the houses of the northern capital rise directly from the water's edge, like the palaces of Venice, but there is always a broad, well-paved, clean street or quay between the line of buildings and the margin of the water. There is one citv that the location and views of Stock- THE GRAND HOTEL FROM NORRBRO. holm frequently lecalled to me, and that is the capital of the tur- baned Turk. The beautiful city of the Northland rises from the waters of the Baltic and the Malar much as Constantinople towers above the Bosporus and the Golden Horn; and there are several views looking across the harbor of Stock- holm upon the southern quarter, where the houses are built one above the other up the high, steep shore, and the loftiest bluffs are crowned with domes and steeples, that always recalled to me the city of Constantine as seen across the Bosporus from the shores of Asia when glittering in FIRST DAYS IN STOCKHOLM. 101 the rays of the rising sun. At the city of the Baltic, too, you have always before you that broad expanse of water which so delights one in looking across the Bosporus, and which surrounds every scene with a certain grandeur and nobility. As Rome sat upon her seven hills, so Stockholm is built irpon her seven islands; and you know there must be just seven, or you would lose the simile — so perhaps it would be best not to count them. Each island lies just far enough from every other, CHURCH OF THE KNIGHTS. and from the northern and southern main, to look at its best; and a charming group are these seven sisters of the sea, looking across broad sheets of water at each other, connected by massive bridges of stone or light structures of iron, fringed with the masts of ships from near and far, with numberless little steam-launches always puffing and darting about on the pleasant waters between. The central figure in the scene— that wliich you see first, and to which your eye ever returns— is the great, massive, 102 .SWEDEN" AND THE SWEDES. brown quadrangle of the royal palace, rising from the rocky heights of the central island. And at sunset your gaze will delight to wander to the delicate tracery of the iron steeple that rises hard by from the church of the Island of the Knights. The fine, open iron-work of this symmet- rical steeple seems like a spider's- web spun against the red of the western sky; and beneath its airy shaft sleep many BURIAL CHAPEL OF BERNADOTTE, CHURCH OF THE KNIGHTS of the kings and heroes that made the Northland mighty, and at whose names the world has trembled. My lodgings were at first at the Grand Hotel — one of the best hotels in Europe, or in the world — and the views from my little balcony were a continual companionship and a never-failing delight. Right in front was the ISTorrstrom, flowing with strong current from between the stone arches of the north bridge and broadening out into the wide har- bor below. From the opposite shore rose the great, square palace of the King, while beyond and to the left were the heights of the southern quarter. A broad quay extends FIKST DAYS IX STOCKHOLM. 103 from the hotel to the stream, and along its granite edge steamers were constautlj^ arriving and departing, and little steam ferry-boats wer'e always passing from shore to shore. White gnlls soared above the water or swooped down to its snrface to seize the choice morsels bronght on by the cur- rent; and their airy presence and discordant cries seemed to bring the freshness and vigor of the sea into the heart of the city. But I liked this scene best by night, for now it was late in August, and the nights began to be dark. Out of the black water gleamed the red and green eyes of the ferry- boats, and their colored lights were ever in motion, gliding by or across each other. The quays, both near by and across the harbor, were lighted with thousands of gas-jets. You could trace the outlines of the shores, pricked out with points of light, and far to the left, where this string of luminous beads arched gently upward, you knew was the bridge to Ship Island. Along the landings over the river, lofty electric orbs shone at intervals, like white moons, above the yellow tiames of gas. High up on a steep crag of the southern quarter, the many-colored lights of Mosebacke flared in a brilliant cluster; and close by, at the water" s edge to the right, Stromparterren, with its thousand jets of flame, gleamed like a jeweled sandal just stepping from Norrbro into the river. The lively music from its great orchestra filled the air, and in the pauses you could hear the soft murmurs of the hurrying stream, across whose waters the myriad lights from quay, and height, and bridge, and isle, cast long, tremulous, converging lines of fire. It was always an open question with me, which was the more beautiful, Stockholm or its environs. The number of pretty excursions you may make by water alone is inex- haustible. To the east lies a labyrinth of forty miles of islands, before you can sail out upon the Baltic; to the west, the Malar Lake, eighty miles long, and dotted with its thousand isles. Some two hundred steamers, large and small, ply these waters. Jump into any one of them — you (104) FIltST HAY^l IN STOCKHOLM. 105 can not make a mistake, for every one will take you through scenery where rugged headlands, wooded isles, and pretty villas, in ever-changing variety, will charm the eye. There was a young English couple that came to Stock- holm on their wedding-tour. They did not speak a word of Swedish, and had no guide or guide-book, but every morning they took the first little steamer that suited their fancy, and passed the day in a delightful excursion. The result was that, instead of a week, they passed the entire summer here. Ev- ery day they made a trip; they never took the same ""WliljniBP'^ route twice, and they always declared that the last excursion was the loveliest. While waiting for the King to return to Stockholm and grant me an audience, I one day went on board the swift steamer Victoria, as she swung off from the quay in front of the Grand Hotel. We sail down the main ship-channel toward the Baltic. Steamers witli flags flying at bow and stern are puffing about everywhere. To the left is the great, wooded park, Djurgarden, and to tlie right the steeps of the southern quarter; farther on, these heights are covered with dark, spruce woods, and topped with villas. To reach some of these villas from the shore, you must ascend a spiral stair- case, inside a tall, wooden tower, from the top of which you 106 SWEDEN AND THE SWEDES. cross a bridge, thrown, like a flying buttress, from tower to crag, and then ascend a steep path thiough the woods. Now we turn to the right, and enter a narrow sound, its entrance guarded by two little islands, sportively named Sweden and Denmark. The narrow strait gives scant room for two steamers to pass. Its walls of somber, gray rock rise sheer from the deep, still waters, and spruce and pine stand above, leaning over the outermost edge of the cliifs. A Norwegian fjoi'd in miniature is Skuru Sund. VIEW IN STAKET. Environs of Stockhoirr Where it broadens out, and vales and strips of land appear, its sides are fairly lined with beautiful villas, sur- rounded with pretty walks, flower-beds, fountains, and always the tall flagstaff, painted white, and standing directly in front of the house, in the center of the round grass-plot, encircled by a pebbled path. Here the flag is sure to be run up on Sundays and holidays, and whenever the villa entertains an honored guest. We glide at slowest speed through Stiiket, a narrow, shoal, winding passage between villas and groves, and then FIRST DAYS IN STOCKHOLM. 107 steam out upon the cliopjjy waters of Baggens Fjard. Far to our left, we see the forest-plumed entrance to Gnstafs- berg, a village famed for its porcelaiii manufactory, and soon are winding among the lofty, wooded islands of the skargard, where spruces and pines like to grow out of the gray rock, with scarce a speck of soil to be seen. We touch at many a little cluster of summer-houses, and at last the rope is thrown out, and its loop cast over a j)ile by a girl in Dalcarlian costume, and everybody goes ashore at Dalaro, the chief watering-] »lace of Stockholm— a pretty ENTRANCE TO GUSTAFSBERG FROM BAGGENS FJARD, little village of summer villas, fishermen's cots, and pilots' houses built along a hill-side, and overlooking bay and islands. Here a carriage with coachman and footman in livery awaited me, and I was driven three miles through the ever- green forest to Sandemar, the stately country residence of the royal chamberlain and royal good fellow, C. F. Brau- nerhjelm. Passing the gates, we drove through a long allee of ancient trees, oak and maple, to the portal of the mansion. (108) FIRST DAYS IN STOCKHOLM. 109 To right and left were long, low stables, carriage-houses, and lodgings for the farm-hands— ekonomi buildings, as the Swedes graphically call them. The spacious couit-yard between was graveled and raked over so carefully that it looked like a furrowed field in miniature; not a foot-print broke its r egu lar, raked sur- face, ex- cept the wheel and the horse tracks we made driv- ing in. Our host greeted us in a lofty hall, where a double flight of stairs circled to a spacious drawing- room above. The walls and ceilings through- out were of wood, and painted in large, , -^ bold designs by skillful artists of two hun- -^ dred years ago. Old family portraits look down upon you everywhere from the walls, and suits of burnished armor stand like knights at rest in the corners; for this mansion is one of the oldest in the skargard, and one of the few spared by the Russians when they ravaged the coast. From the drawing-room, glass doors open upon a balcony on the side of the house, opposite the entrance. Here you look out upon a beautiful garden, a little Ver- sailles, with lines of trees rigidly clipped, closely shaven hedges and lawns, rows of white stones bordering the paths, lofty pyramids of evergreen foliage, Diana's Temple in a grove, fountain and statues; and beyond, filling the vista, SUMMER VILLA 110 SWEDEN AND THE SWEDES. that which Versailles hath not — the sparkling waters of the bay. Now the brisk rattle and roll of a kettle-drum jars the air. I start at this unexpected sound, but my host smiles and says, " It is so we always call to dinner at Sandemar." And the dinner was worthy the beating of drums. It was graced by the presence of the chamberlain' s two charming daughters, and accompanied with toasts and good cheer, and genuine Swedish hospitality. CARL XIV.— STOCKHOLM. CHAPTER yilL WALLB.V. ^HE shooting in Sweden is all preserved and protected. It is guarded by law, and closely watched by game- keepers. One may not shoulder his gun, whistle .^^ to his dog, and hie afield to shoot Avhatever good Inck may bring within shot, as is our custom in great, new America. And yet, so boundless is the hospitality of the good peox)le of Sweden, that if a stranger only have proper letters of introduction, he will receive more invitations to shoot over carefully guarded preserves than he can possibly accept, and be absolutely overwhelmed with kindness wher- ever he visits. On a crisp, September evening, my friend. Judge Axel Carlson, and I drove through the long allee shaded by a double row of trees, passed the gates, rattled across the paved court-yard, and drew up at the door of Wallen. Its owner, Theodor Gyllenskold, one of the royal chamberlains of Sweden, received iis; servants took our baggage and dogs, and, led by our host, we passed through a long corridor, paved with large blocks of stone, to the guests' chambers. Rare old furniture adorned the rooms; the beds were fes- tooned with masses of drapery, and ciirtains of rich lace were gathered at the windows, or rather at the openings which led to the windows, for the massive stone walls of Wallen are six feet thick; and into an embrasure six feet deep I walked, unbarred and threw open the heavy shut- ters of solid oak, and looked out upon the lake, which glit- tered in the moonlight, and whose wavelets kissed the castle walls below. Then came the sound of wooden shoes clat- tering over the stones of the court-yard, and the watchman of the castle cried, as he went his hourly round, ' ' Nu ar klockan tio slagen" — " Now has the clock struck ten." (Ill) 112 SWEDEN AND THE SWEDES. Next morning we were atield at the comfortable hour of nine. The gamekeeper accompanied us, with a little, red Irish setter, "Miss." Our dogs — a large English setter, "Don," and a fine-bred pointer, "Beauty" — quartered across the wide stubble-fields which stretched away on every hand, for the estate of Wallen comprises twenty-five thousand acres, and over the whole of it we were at liberty to roam with dog and gun. We tramped for an hour without sign of game; then, in the middle of a black, newly plowed field, "Beauty" and "Miss" dreAv on step by step toward a point, when up jumi^ed a great, brown hare from under their noses. This was too much for their training; away leaped the hare, and, spite of whistles, yells, and protests, away galloped tlie dogs after him. At the end of the plowed ground the hare doubles. Now he comes leaping back toward me; and as the galloping procession of hare, pointer, and setter sweeps past, I take a quick sight, well ahead, and pull trigger. The hare turns a somersault and lies on his back, stone dead, riddled through with No. 9 chilled shot, and within a sec- ond "Beauty" has him in her mouth, and straining every muscle in neck, back, and legs, the little, silky pointer comes lugging him in— no easy task, for the great, brown captive weighs fully ten pounds, and though the little dog holds high her jaws, both head and long hind legs of the hare drag heavily on the ground. ' ' Beauty ' ' tugged so hard, I could see the cords of her neck so tensely strained, and she wagged her tail, and was so proud of delivering this big booty into my hand, that, although I had my whip out, all ready to give her the punishment she so richly deserved for chasing a hare, I had not the heart to strike her a blow; so contented myself with reproaching her in a very stern and doleful tone of voice. Just beyond the edge of a swampy, bushy hollow that ran out into the field, a covey of twenty partridges rose wild from "Beauty's" point, fiew to the foot of a wooded hill, and lit just in front of my comrades. Leaving this covey to my friends, I kept on. In a few moments, "Beauty" came (IM) 114 SWEDEN AND THE SWEDES. to a point at a hedge-row. Up rose a covey of twelve, but with sucli a clattering and chattering that I was quite dis- concerted, fired wildly into the flock, and missed both bar- rels. This covey swung back and lit in the swampy tongue of land. This piece contained about three acres; underneath it was as swampy as a snipe-bog; its surface was covered with a thick growth of heather, and young birches grew here and there, much as in a New England woodcock covert. It was hard ground for partridge-shooting, but it had this one great advantage — in it the birds would lie like stones. Into the covert I went, keeping ' ' Beauty ' ' Avell in hand, and hunting every foot of the ground. The little dog set- tled down to her work, and cautiously quartered the ground within twenty yards of me. Point after point she made. Up bustled the partridges, singly or in couples, under my very feet. Sometimes I missed them, but sometimes I cut the plump little fellows down, killed clean in mid-air. All the while my companions were popping away on the wooded hill-side, a few gunshots off. Now and again a bird they had missed would light in the swamp, to my great gratifi- cation, while all my birds that got away flew straight to my friends. At the end of an hour I had waded through the bog. Six brown, plump partridges lay in my basket; a seventh had fallen dead in front of my companions, and had been picked up by them. Meanwhile they had bagged five partridges and a black cock, and we sat down to lunch with our game spread out on the grass before us. In the afternoon we separated. I was unable to find the covey I went in search of, and seeing the white walls of Wallen rising above the green trees, walked leisurely back to this hospitable home at two o'clock. My companions were more fortunate. They returned at six, having found two fresh coveys and bagged eight partridges during the afternoon. One hare, one black cock, and twenty partridges — a very pretty array of game they made, hanging against the wall. We were soon clad in full dress, and sat down to a din- ner fit for a king. Some of the table-service was over two WALL EN. 115 hundred years old. The grand okl country-seat of Wallen dates from the twelfth century, and is one of the most ancient of the historic residences of Sweden. Chamberlain Gyllensk5ld is a member of the Upper House of the Swedish Parliament. Her grace, his wife, our beautiful and accom- plished hostess, is a cousin of Count Carl Lewenhaupt, lately Minister of Sweden and Norway at Washington, and now (1890) Minister of Foreign Affairs at Stockholm. Our host and hostess, with their two little, sunny-haired daughters, are a beautiful ilhrstration of the pure and ele- vated family life among the Swedish nobility. Gathered together in their grand ancestral hall, surrounded by mementos of former centuries, and welcoming an American stranger with a quiet and appreciative hospitality that made him at once feel almost a member of their family cir- cle, they form a picture whose beauty I can never forget, and whose memory I shall ever cherish. 4.; "Jet ■.■\.'i. -_- THE EUROPEAN PARTRIDGE (Rapphons;. . (116) CHAPTKR IX, O.SCA I! ST I! OM. ijICTURESQUE falls in the river; a railroad station above, where the locomotive stops to drink on its way from Halmstad, and, atop the hill, a spacious country residence with broad piazza overlooking the country round about, and commanding far views down the valley of the Nissa, where like a silver thread it winds among wooded hills. This is Oscarstrom. Then there is mine host Disponent Jonsson, a portly, comiDanionable man, and keen judge of dogs and horses; an active little Mamsell skilled in all the arts of house- keeping and the cuisine, and half a dozen men and maid servants, chief among whom is Joseph, the gamekeeper, who knows so well where the partridge coveys lie, and where they will iiy when once you put them up. And I must not forget the nicely groomed span of horses, and the score of setters, pointers, and deer-hounds, and one little terrier, the especial pet of Mamsell. All around are wooded hills and heathery moors dotted with the little farms and cottages of the peasants, and the shooting extends over three thousand acres. Verily, a little paradise for a sportsman is Oscarstrom. There is good salmon-fishing here, too, in the summer; and down under the falls is a little house for fish-breeding. Sixty salmon are now confined in the inclosed pool, and in November thousands of eggs will be gently stroked from them, and they will be set free again. They are dark, slimy- looking fellows, these salmon that for months have been in the river; so different from the silver fish, fresh run from the sea. f 117) 118 SWEDEN AND THE SWEDES. There is a dam at the falls, although the old mill has long since tumbled down. Here the water rolls over in a smooth, even, glistening sheet, and drops, crinkling, white and foamy, some eight feet into the pool below; and here, on bright, sunny September noons, the salmon leap inces- santly in their vain endeavors to surmount the fall and gain the river above. One noon I counted them, watch in hand. Fifty salmon leapt into air in five minutes. I kept on counting. No. 74 landed on top the fall, where, like bent glass, the clear, amber stream curves over the highest log. There he hangs; in a second he has gained an inch in the swift falling water; another second, and he shoots up- stream out of sight like an arrow. In twelve minutes one hundred salmon had tried the leap, but only No. 74 had accomplished it. It is different when the river is high; then the fish easily i^ass the fall. In my rambles around Oscarstrom, a cottage, rather larger than its neighbors, was pointed out to me as the abode of an American. Can it be that a fellow country- man has found his way into this remote valley, and settled down here ? I called on him. He caiue to the door leading a little daughter by the hand. I knew he was a Swede before he opened his mouth. He had emigrated to America, had been a blacksmith somewhere in the State of New York for four years, and had returned with money enough to buy this farm. He had been back in the Old Country now for ten years, and had forgotten all the English he ever picked up. "Oh, yes," he said, in Swedish, "the wages are much better in America; and here in Sweden I never could have got money enough ahead to buy this place." And why did he return, then ? ' ' Oh ! " he smiled, " you see I was homesick; I longed for old Sweden all the time, and I couldn't stay away any longer." There were three more so-called Americans within a day' s walk. They had all come back for the same reason. They longed for the old home, and they could never leave it again. OSCAKSTROM. 119 When I awoke on Wednesday, October 3d, it was raining hard. It had rained all night. It continued to rain all day— a driving, pouring rain, that kept us all indoors. Night came on but the pouring storm persisted. The Nissa swelled to a turbid torrent, and the roar of the falls of O s c a r s t r 6 m |giillliT°iPlFlllii sounded deep and clear above the ^ffl^^^^^^fc^ fmy of the gale. Thursday ^ifJU^I^Ir ^ l ^ ^f^^l^lf^^lff^^^ morning dawned thro ugh blanket of fog, enveloped every- outdoors, and cold and a dim which 1. FISHING FOR SALMON AT OSCARSTROM. 2. THE FALLS AT OSCARSTROM. chilled us by the hre within. But it did not rain, it did not blow; so out into the fog I sallied, with Joseph as guide, and the old se^tter "Don" at heel. In a stubble- field "Don" made game, but the covey had flown. We hunted the heather hill-side beyond. In a little swale "Don " stopped from his gallop as suddenly as though he had run against a stone wall, and with head at right angles, with his long body and white-plumed tail, made a point that 120 SWEDEN" AND THE SWEDES. was a picture and a joy. Up wliiired the covey. Bang ! bang ! Two partridges drop to each shot. I laughed out- right. Such luck I had never had before. Joseph bags the four birds, and we hunt the scattered covey among the low pines on the hill-top, where the partridges had taken refuge. Here I had some pretty snap-shooting at the birds dodging among the tree-tops, and bagged four more. It was still early in the morning. Lowering and threat- ening it looked; but our blood was up. We crossed the roaring Nissa by a foot-bridge, and following a little path winding among the heather, passed over the mountain range that rose from the left bank of the river, and descended into the broader valley of a tributary stream beyond. Here the land lay in three distinct teri-aces. The level flats were cultivated, the steeps between covered with heather, bushes, and a scrub growth of birch and pine. As we looked down upon the pretty valley, a bright spot of blue sky oi^ened on us from the western horizon like the mild blue eye of a northern goddess, and as we picked our way down the heathery slope, the whole gray blanket of cloud and fog was rolled back over our heads, and a bright sun smiled from a clear blue sky. It was noon when we commenced to beat the bushy steejjs. Suddenly, with an appalling clatter and whir, a covey of some thirty ]3artridges rise far ahead of "Don s" point, and, flying high, disappear over the lofty brow of the terrace. I drop one at long range. Following up their flight over the level land beyond, there appears before us, on the summit of the highest terrace, the inevitable small boy, who is equi-prevalent in Sweden and America, who appears at the sound of the gun, and who dogs the sportsman' s foot- steps all day long, peering out from behind stone wall or tree at every discharge; a most familiar spirit, especially when you miss — the sportsman of the future. ' ' Get out of the way! Run! run! to the left there! we are going to shoot !" we cry; and away ran the little fellow. And now, for the first time in my experience, was the small boy of use; for, as he ran into the scrub birches, he started uj) a black cock OSCARSTROM. 121 that, springing from the high land, flew directly over our heads as we stood on the flat below. On he came, high in air, blaclv, clear-cut against tlie blue sky as a spring coot cutting past Bald Head, on the coast of Maine. What a pretty shot it was! Leisurely raising- niy gun, giving him just his own length's allowance, I pulled trigger. Down lie slanted through the air and struck the soft heather, dead. My flrst black cock. I placed his tail, with its outward-curving black feathers, in my hat. After duly thanking and feeing the small boy, we gaijied the upper flat. Here, in the midst of a scrub grove, was the covey. I dropped two, right and left, as they rose from ' ' Don' s ' ' point. At the report, out sprung a hare and scuttled away to the right ; but, with the quick- est possible manipulation of my breech-loader, I suc- ceeded in cramming in a fresh cartridge and bowling- over the hare l^efore he had sprung out of gunshot. And now the big covey, which of course was two or three coveys that had joined forces, scattered over the moor and hill-sides, and good sport they gave. Shooting them singly or in couples, over my good dog "Don," eight more I added to our bag. Then, just at sunset, in a wet strip of woods, up got a great woodcock, silent as a hawk. I flred a snap- shot; the smoke filled the air before me, but, as I stepped out of the woods, there stood "Don " on a point in the oj^en field, and, walking up, there was the cock, dead. A huge fellow to American eyes he was, with his long, pointed OLD NORTH GATE, HALMSTAD. 122 SWEDEN AND THE SWEDES. wings and his tliirteen-oimce. weight. But give nie our American woodcock. Small they are, it is true; yet noth- ing can equal the meiTy jingle, as of silver sleigh-bells, with which our ruddy brown beauties soar aloft from the alder coverts of New England in ripe October. In the twilight, Joseph and I wound over the mountain crest home;— tired, dirty, healthy, and happy. The strap of Joseph's game-bag pressed dee]3ly into his shoulders as he strode on before me. The bag was full, and outside it was covered with game that dangled from every string and loop. One hare, one black cock, one woodcock, and nineteen partridges was that day's bag — the best shooting I have as yet had in Scandinavia. The partridge of Sweden is the pai'tridge common to all Eurox:)e — Perdix cinerea. My nineteen weighed exactly six- teen pounds, or thirteen and one-half ounces each. One of them, an old cock, weighed a pound, which I think is about their maximum weight. European partridge-shooting is much like our sport with the American quail, except that, as the partridge has not the power of retaining its scent for an hour or two after alighting, possessed by our crafty little "Bob White," you should follow up the European covey immediately after each rise, driving it, if possible, into the heather, where the birds will frequently rise, singij^ or in couples, and give you the best results. The black cock is the same as the black game of Scot- land and the Alps — Tetrao tetrix. Mine was a young bird and weighed two and a half pounds. The beautifully out- ward-curving tail-feathers of this bird are much sought after as a hat ornament in the Tyrol, and certainly make a very pretty feather in a sportsman's cap. All told, my bag of to-day weighed twenty-five pounds and thirteen ounces; and so it is no wonder that the strap of the game-bag cut into Joseph's shoulder. Fifteen miles down-stream the Nissa flows into the Katte- gat, between the jetties of Halmstad. This little city num- bers scarcely twelve thousand inhabitants; yet it boasts Ik- Mi 1. MARKET-PLACE AND CHURCH, HALMSTAD. 2. TIVOLI GARDENS, HALMSTAD. U23) 124 SWEDEN AND THE SWEDES. the largest population of any town in Halland, and is the cai^ital of the province. Halmstad is noted for its delicately smoked salmon, its handsome Gothic church, its old North Gate, and its pretty Tivoli gardens, where yon may sip your tea in the open air, look out over a level, green intervale to the groves and man- sions of Slottsmollan, and watch the river Nissa curve through the plain and iiow by the bluff on which you are sitting. But the best and strongest memories I have of Halmstad are of the hospitality of its generous citizens; for here lives Landshtifdingen Carl Nordenfalk, the Governor of Halland, and a most genial gentleman, whether you meet him in the drawing-room or afield with dog and gun; here is the home of my faithful comrade in arms. Judge Axel Carlson; and in the environs are the elegant residences of the brothers Isaac and William Wallberg, the largest woolen manufact- urers in Sweden, who delight in inviting you to a quiet little dinner and surprising you with a sumptuous banquet of forty or fifty covers. 'i0-^ CHAPTER X. BALGO. ^HE coachman whiijped up the horses. The ladies waved us adieu from the hospitable porch. We rattled over the stone bridge by the old stone mill, ^^ and stretched away across country for six miles over a good macadamized road. Stone walls flanked the way on either side, and cliffs of cold, gray granite rose abruptly everywhere from the level fields green with winter rye. Then we turned squarely to the left, and over a by-road drove out on a peninsula that juts into the stormy Katte- gat, and drew rein at last in the square court-yard of an old Swedish farmer's residence. The old farmer was blessed with eight stalwart sons, all men grown, all over six feet tall, all with blue eyes and flaxen hair, and all living at home with him. Two of these young giants went with us to the rocky shore. The wind was blowing half a gale. The waves beat spitefully against the strand. All over the sea the white-caps came toppling toward us, and long streaks of foam stretched away to wind- ward. No, the boat would not live in that sea with six of us on board; they would go up into the cove and row out the pram. And soon, far up the shallow cove, we saw the young vikings splashing along in the knee-deep water, tow- ing and shoving a great lumbersome lighter. Big enough it was to cross the Atlantic; so we defied the waves of the Kattegat, and after a hard pull with the clumsy oars, the vikings rowed us over to the island of Balgo. This island is about four hundred acres in extent. It lies a mile off the southwest coast of Sweden, near the town of Warberg, and is the property of Herr Alfred Bexell, whose guest I was, and who accompanied me to the island. 126 SWEDEN AND THE SAV'EDES. With us came his son, Alfred Bexell, Jr., a bright young lad of fifteen, and his daughter Ebba, a blue-eyed girl of twelve, who scampered away over the fields in front of us, her flaxen hair streaming in the wind, as lithe and graceful as a young gazelle. We soon reached the farm-house, and I had occasion to admire the two substantial barns of hewn stone which Herr Bexell, who never does anything by halves, has just erected to accommodate the increasing harvests that his superior methods of cultivation are producing on the island. Alfi'ed Jr., Ebba, the vikings, and several of the farm-hands, with THE SWEDISH HARE. tin pans and sticks in their hands, started west across the island, while my host and 1 followed a field down to a cove on the north. Seven or eight years ago, Herr Bexell had pirt some hares upon Balgo. They had multiplied very rapidly, and occa- sionally the proprietor gave his friends a rare hare hunt. Such an one was to come off to-morrow; but my host said: "You are a stranger; you do not understand this hare shooting; you must go over to Balgo with me to-day, and we will have a little hunt all to ourselves, just to get your hand in. ' ' BALao. 127 So here we were. A stone wall ran across tlie foot of the field, not far from the head of the co^^e. Behind an angle in this wall I stationed myself, laid my cartridges in a row on a smooth stone before me, and took a careful view of the situation. The water in the cove was within forty yards; the hares must pass within gunshot, that was certain. Thirty yards away, running parallel with the water and the course the hares must come, was a dilapidated wall, built of large boulders. From me to this line of stones was a greensward; that would be easy shooting; but beyond I must catch them at snap-shots between the boulders. Luckily, a large gap in the old wall was nearly opposite me, where a brook from UAUa T;' WE JER. THE SWEDISH HARE IN HIS WINTER COAT. the field rippled down to the sea. So I crouched behind the angle of the fence and waited. A little way off, my host sat on the wall and smoked his cigar as coolly as General Grant on the eve of battle. He had no gun; he never shoots, but a great lover of shooting he is for all that. Now a hare ai)pears on the crest of the upland pasture to the west, jumps up on a knoll, raises himself bolt upright like a kangaroo, cocks his ears, bends them forward, wheels like a fiash, and gallops back again out of sight, evidently not pleased with his reconnoissance. Three more hares go through this same evolution. The wind was blowing strongly from us to them. Did they smell us? 128 SWEDEN AND THE SWEDES. But now, from afar we hear the distant beating of the tin pans and the shouts of the drivers. Down the hill- side leaps a hare, and with ears flattened back on his neck, gallops across the greensward and by me like the wind. I give him an allowance of nearly his own length, and pull trigger. He turns a somersault and lies feet up, stone dead. Now another scuttles by beyond the old wall; a snap-shot tumbles him into the brook. At the leport, Ave hares leap- ing down the hill-side turned and scampered back, in very truth, "for dear life." But, "Clatter! clatter! hullo! hullo ! ' ' Ever nearer come the drivers, with little Ebba' s clear, child' s voice sounding high above the din. And now, scamper ! scamper ! the hares shoot by like woolly shuttles darting through the warp of rocks. Bang ! bang ! Load and fire; it was hot work. Fast as I could cram in the cartridges, the hares came faster. In shooting one, there would scamper by five; but I laid them out on the greensward, beyond the boulders, in the brook, past the brook. All around, everywhere, I piled them up for two burning minutes. Then the drivers were up with us, and the shoot was over. My host continued to smoke his cigar, sitting on the stone wall. Hastening to him and dashing my hat on the ground, I grasped his hand and heartilj^ thanked him for the best shoot I had ever enjoyed. " We never saw a man who could load and fire as fast as you," said the drivers. Picking up the hares, they laid them in a row on the grass ; fifteen there were, a pretty sight. Young Alfred picked up my empty shells. There were twenty; three hares had required the second barrel. I had missed but two clean. But as Herr Bexell and I stood talking, a hare came bouncing along from the east, and, looking up, I saw my friend had i^repared a surprise for me, and that the men were driving the eastern pasture. Running under cover of the stone wall, I pulled myself again into shooting trim, and bowled over nine more brownies as they came leaping by. The men had their hands full. Twenty-four hares they o A KLAPP HUNT. (129^ 130 SWEDEN AND THE SWEDES. carried across the field to tlae house. Time of shooting, three-quarters of an hour. It was concentrated sport. The Swedish hare — Lepus timidus — is a distinct species from the hare of Central Europe — Lepus EuropcBUS. The Swedish hare is smaller, slimmer, has shorter ears, and pos- sesses the distinctive characteristic that it turns white in winter, precisely as does the hare of New England and Canada. Several of the hares weighed nine pounds, one weighed ten, and one noble fellow brought down the scales to eleven and one-fourth pounds. And this was the little hunt all by ourselves, just to get my hand in. On the morrow, October 17, 1883, the grand hunt came off. Twelve guns were in line; the whole island was driven by about thirty beaters, and we shot over two hundred hares, of which I had the luck to bowl over exactly forty. But the sport lacked the romance, the beauty, and the freshness of the day before, when my host sat and smoked on the wall, the flaxen hair of his fair daughter blew out among the drivers on the hill, and the hares scuttled "like mad" over the narrow pass between the stone wall and the sea. That evening there was a grand dinner party at Goin- gegard, the hospitable country-seat of the Bexells. The priest and all the magnates of Warberg were there, and a jolly night we had of it. America and Sweden were toasted in honorable terms, and with three rousing cheers, and "VartLand" and the "Star-Spangled Banner" were sung in full chorus. Next morning I bade farval to my kind friends, and drove to the railway station. As Ave rattled out through the portal, the American flag, which had been flying during my visit, was lowered from its stafl: in the center of the pretty garden, and my shooting for this year was over. Herr Bexell owns not only the estate of Goingegard of seven hundred acres, but also, ten miles away, the estate of Thorstorp, some three thousand Ave hundred acres in ex- tent. He was born in Sweden, but he is an American for all that; for the true American spirit of manly independence^ risn 132 SWEDEN AND THE SWEDES. and the will and work that conquer every obstacle, are within him. He is the architect of his own fortunes, and has risen to be one of the leading agriculturists of the kingdom. He was one of the first to make use of marl in the agriculture of Sweden. A large area of the country among the hills lies a desolate moor, covered with heather, i^roducing noth- ing. Herr Bexell found out that marl, while a fertilizer to useful crops, was the destroyer of heather. He at once, and at large expense, built substantial, macadamized roads from his marl-pits to his most distant heather hills. Over these roads he hauls many thousand loads of marl every year, and is converting hundreds of acres of waste land into fertile fields. Where the heathery cliffs are too stony for any x^ossible grain or grass, there he plants forest trees. If he be a benefactor to the human race who causes ' ' two blades of grass to grow where only one grew before, ' ' surely Alfred Bexell, of Goingegard and Thorstorp, is a true philanthroijist. On the smooth tablets of the cliffs at Thorstorp my host cuts the names of his friends, and also maxims, adages, wise saws, and striking passages of poetry, many of them of his own composition. There is an old stone-cutter on the estate, and I shrewdly suspect his entire time is employed in hammering out names and mottoes. "They say," remarked Herr Bexell, "that Sweden is a little country, and that the time may be not far distant when her people will be amalgamated with other races and her language cease to exist. But should all other evidence be lost, these eternal hills alone will transmit to future ages a, noble tongue, spoken by a race that has acted well its part on the world' s stage. ' ' "But I wish," he added, "I could have a motto in one of the great languages of the globe that in some sense would be a key to my inscriptions." Recollecting a line of Virgil, and substituting one word therein, I suggested ''Lapides loquentes semper hahemusy "Good!" said my host; "I'll have that cut to-morrow." • Herr Bexell inscribes also the names of his enemies and of public men whose policy he disapproves, but he cuts BALUO. 133 them upside down. For instance, I have a strong impres- sion that if the great Bismarck were to visit Thorstorp, he would find his name in a position anything but flattering. Since my visit, I have been pleased to learn that the province of Halland has recognized Herr Bexell's ability and services by electing him a member of the Upper House of the Swedish Diet. The ground is white outside my windows in the capital of the Northland as I write, but pleasant it is to look back upon the scenes and friends of brown October — upon the days at Thorstorp, where young Alfred and I kept bachelor' s hall, and went afield together, not forgetting one bright moonlit evening when Froken Junis Bexell, a tall, graceful maid of seventeen summers, galloped ten miles over the hills on her favorite steed to bring us our mail; and then the visit at Gciingegard, where Fru Bexell presided with such a motherly, New England grace over the household, and where all conspired to make the American feel that he was no longer a stranger in a strange land. fi34:) CHAPTER XL H USE KEEP IN G IN S T OK II L M. Qw/HE Swedes in the cities live in flats. You will find few families in Stockholm occupying a whole house. In the better portions of the city there is always a ^p^ spacious enti'ance to the house, and then a winding stone staircase. This staircase is used in common, as a street would be. You live by yourself in your flat, or your por- tion of a flat, and need have nothing to do with j^our neigh- bors who occupy the same house. Two flights up, or what we in America would call tlie third story, strange as it may appear, is the fashionable flat. The lower story, or ground floor, is apt to be damp; the second story is frequently low- studded, somewhat after the manner of the French entresol; but the third story is lofty and spacious, the most expensive and desirable story of the whole house. The cellar is divided into little vaulted sections, two or three of which go with each suite of rooms; and the attic is similarly divided into compartments for each family in the house. At the double street doors is a little room occupied by the portvakt. I had lived in my flat for over a month before I knew that the street doors were always locked. When you turn the knob, you do not unlock the door, but you ring a little bell in the portvakt' s room. The porter is always sitting close to another knob, and on hearing the bell, he pulls the bolt of the door, and so expert is he in pulling the moment you ring, that for over a month I sup- posed I was pulling the bolt myself. This porter looks out through a little round port-hole window, which commands the door both outside and in, and if the person at the door-latch be not a respectable and (.135) 136 SWEDEN AND THE SWEDES. proper-looking individual in evei'y way, he must undergo a cross-examination before he will be allowed to enter the house. In this way many annoying visitors are kejjt out. I think the Swedish stoves will roniinand both your admiration and resjoect. They are no small, iron aft'airs, like our own; but they run up to the ceiling. They are built of porcelain tiles, and stand like great pillars, columns, or monuments, and adorn the room in which the^' are placed. I was so impressed with the stove in my drawing- A VIEW IN THE HUMLEGARDEN. room, that I could not rest content till I measured it. I found it to be four feet three inches wide, three feet deep, and twelve and one-half feet high. It was of white ]3orce- lain throughout. Its pilasters were adorned with raised work like Dresden china, and it Avas surmounted with a porcelain angel, whose wings extended across the entire top. The size of this stove gave me chilling forebodings of the cold of winter. There is a little hole like an oven in the bottom of these porcelain pillars, near the floor. The hole HOUSEKEEPING IN STOCKHOLM. 137 is perhaps a foot high, eight or ten inches wide, and two or two and one-half feet deep. In this a wood lire is built every morning during the long winter. When the fire is burned down to red coals, and these red coals are covered over with a thin, filmy, white ash, the Swedish house-maid knows that all the bad gases have escaped. She then shuts and hasps the iron doors, and, outside of them, the scoured, shining brass ones to the fire-place, and hauls to the draft overhead near the ceiling. THE ELEVATOR, STOCKHOLM. The Swedish stove is honey-combed throughout its entire height with i)assages. The smoke from the fii'e must go up and down the porcelain pillar several times before it can escape up chimne}^ The whole great mass of porcelain is thus heated throughout. Closing the draft in the top keeps the heat in the oven-like interior fi'om escaping, and the col- umn of porcelain gives out a mild, pleasant, beautiful heat into the room during twenty-four hours; and in the coldest weather you will only need a little wood fire twice a day. It is the pleasantest heat I know of, and you get more 138 SWEDKN AND THE SWEDES. warmth in this way out of a given body of wood than from any other kind of stove or furnace I ever saw. The only drawback is, tliat this method of heating is unaccompanied with ventilation. But tlie Swedes are oi^posed to ventila- tion on principle. Once a year two gentlemen will call on you, with book and pencil in hand, and carefully examine every stove in your rooms. They also examine all the flues and chimneys. They are officers of the municipality, and the patriarchal government of Stockholm wishes to see that there is no danger of your burning yourself up. The chimneys in Sweden are still swept out by chimney- sweeps. I think in America we know this class of people only through pictures; but in Sweden you frequently see them on the roofs or walking through the streets — little, black, smiling, sooty boys, with a rope, having an iron hook on its end, wound around their neck or hanging over their shoulder, and laughing, with red lips and bright eyes, through the black smut on their faces. They serve also as bogies to frighten the children with. ' ' Sotar' n kommer ! ' ' — "The chimney-sweep's coming!" — cries the Swedish mother to her baby, when she will make it ' ' behave. ' ' Wood is universally used for fuel in Sweden. It is brought to Stockholm in large, broad-beamed sloops from the country round about. Along the quay at Nybro- hamnen you can always see scores of these wood-boats moored side by side, their prows touching the granite curbing. In front of these boats are large square frames, made of plank, some of them higher than your head. Into these frames the wood is piled, when sold, to be measured. They hold whole, half, and quarter fathoms. You may, if you wish, go down to the quay where the wood-boats lie and buy your own lot of wood; but you will not do so well as if you entrusted this purchase to one of your servants. There is always a man in the house who looks after the wood. He is generally from Dalecarlia, and dressed in the jjicturesque costume of that province. He is a familiar IIOUSEKEEPIXO I^f STOCKHOLM. 139 spirit about the house. He buys tlie wood, sees it is prop- erly stored in your section of the cellar, saws it, splits it, and carries it upstairs day by day or week by week, always keeping a sufficient supply in the large wood-box in the entry connected witli your rooms. The inspection of stoves, the sight of chimney-sweeps, and the purchase and storing of fuel, very naturally led my thoughts to lire and conflagrations, and these in turn suggested insurance. I went to an agent. " What will you ask to insure my furniture against fire to an amount of ten thousand crowns for one year ?" "Five crowns." 140 SWEDEN AND THE SA\'EDES. I thoiiglit lie did not understand me, and I repeated tlie question. Same answer — " Five crowns." I looked at the man. He appeared perfectly sane. "AVliat! Will you insure my furniture for a year at the rate of fifty cents for one thousand dollars ? ' ' "Yes." I began to calculate the per cent. Is it one per cent. , or a half, or a quarter, or a tenth 'i No; this premium is just one-twentieth of one per cent. I had insured my office fur- niture, in what we call a first-class brick building in Amer- ica, a few months before, for one per cent, per annum — exactly twenty times more than this Swedish agent was now asking me. " Anything wrong about your company? " I asked. "JSTothing. Our capital is twelve million crowns, and this rate of insurance is not ours alone. It is the rate agreed upon. Every company doing business in Stockholm will insure personal property in a first-class building at the same rate, and it is in fact a siifficient compensation for the little risk run. We have no conflagrations in Stockholm." Well! This was a revelation in insurance. The subject was interesting. I looked further into it. I found the premium on lirst-class buildings, though higher than upon personal property, was only seventy -five cents on one thou- sand dollars a year. However, by paying seventeen dollars and flfty cents on one thousand dollars, you may insure your house forever; and not onlj^ the particular house now stand- ing, but all first-class houses that may be built on the same lot to replace it and its successors to the end of time, should that important epoch ever be reached. That is, the sum of one and three-fourths per cent. — the sum an American pays to insure his dwelling for two years — will enable a Swede to insure his Stockholm hoiise forever. I made one other calculation in I'egard to personal prop- erty. In America you insure ten thousand dollars worth of furniture for one per cent. — that is, for one hundred dollars a year. In Stockholm you may take this premium of one HOUiSEKEEPING IN STOCKHOLM. 141 hundred dollars and put it out at interest at five per cent. It will bring you in, of course, five dollars per annum, and with this interest on the annual American premium you may insure your ten thousand dollars worth of furniture to its full value to the end of time, and keep your one hundred dollars into the bargain. Now, what is the rea- son of this:! Stockholm has an excellent fire de- MOLIN'S FOUNTAIN, KING'S PARK, STOCKHOLM. ! BELTED CHAMPIONS — iBy Mol n partment. So has New York, and Chi- cago, and Boston, and San Francisco, and every respecta- ble American city. For that matter, the American firemen are the best in the world. They ought to be. They have the most practice. Stockholm has a good system of water- works. So has every American city and town, and almost every village, nowadays. 142 SWEDEN" AivTD THE SWEDES. Stockholm is fortunately situated by the side of great bodies of water. So is Chicago, and Boston, and Portland, and Lynn ; and what fearful contiagrations we have had in all these cities within the memory of everyone in middle life ! No ! The exemption of Stockholm from fire, and the resulting almost fabulous cheapness of insurance, is due chieily to the wise regulations under which the houses are built, and the honest and faithful manner in which these regulations are carried out. These rules apply principally to first-class houses, it is true, but nearly all houses built in Stockholm of late years are of this class. What are the regulations % Chief among them are these: 1. First-class houses must be built of stone or brick. 2. The stairs of every house must be of stone or iron, laid in stone walls at least one foot thick from cellar to attic. 3. The cellar must be built of massive arches of stone laid in mortar or cement, and supporting the ground floor. This floor generally has beams of iron, with the spaces between filled in with broken brick, gravel, clay, and mortar, thus making it i^ractically fire-proof. 4. The attic floor must be of fire-proof masonry, not only filled in between the beams, but the upper surface must be built of brick or tiles laid in mortar or cement, and form one continuous, solid floor on top of the beams. 5. Iron doors set in stone door-ways shall be used to close both attic and cellar, and these doors are kept shut, and locked at night and whenever not in use. 6. Where elevators are permitted, the elevator-shaft shall be built of .solid masonry, and all doors opening out of it shall be of iron. 7. The roof must be covered with tiles, slate, or sheets of metal. 8. There must be fire-proof walls of a foot or a foot and a half in thickness on each side the house. 9. No dwelling-house shall be built but a trifle higher than the street on which it is situated is wide, and in no event higher than sixty-eight feet. Most of the new, hand- HOUSEKEEPING IN STOCKHOLM. 143 some houses in Stockholm are four or live stories high; a few may be found of six stories — none over this. 10. Only two-thirds of a lot of land may be built upon, except corner lots; then three-fourths may be covered by the house. 11. All the flues and chimneys must be of ample size, and frequently swept out. The kitchen flues must be at least twelve by fourteen and a half inches on the inside, and they must be swept out, from chimney-top down to cooking- range, at least once a month. 12. All stoves, flues, and chimneys are officially inspected once a year, as we have seen. These are the twelve chief regulations. I know they may seem severe, arbitrary, and will very likely be stigma- tized as invading private rights; but if, by adopting them, American cities can enable their citizens to insure their houses, for themselves, their heirs, executors, and assigns, forever, for one and three-fourths per cent. , and their fur- niture forever for the interest upon one per cent, of its value, and save us from our frequent and fearful conflagra- tions, with their terrible loss of life and colossal destruc- tion of property, then, I say, the quicker we adopt these rules, or others like unto them, the better. From this question, so important to paterfamilias, let us turn to one of equal import to the mother of the family — the question of help. This question in Sweden meets with a very happy solution. The Swedish servant-girls are admittedly the best in the world. They are kind, obliging, polite, neat, skillful, and seem to have their employer's interest at heart. They work, too, for what would seem to us in America to be very small wages. The average pay of a first girl or cook in the cities of Sweden is seventy-five cents a week, and of a house-maid, fifty cents. They expect also to receive the present of ten crowns and a new dress at Christmas, and ten crowns at midsummer, and, besides, they receive a little gratuity now and again from guests who visit the house, but nothing more. 144 SWEDEN AND THE SWEDES. I once visited a friend, a captain in the Swedish army, in the interior of Sweden. His wife was an invalid, and his establishment was conducted by a most excellent house- keeper. Her salary, I found out, was one hundred crowns — twenty-six dollars and eighty cents a year. I am aware that in some cases, especially in Stockholm, superior cooks receive much larger wages; but, on the other hand, many servant-girls receive less than the sums I have given, so that I believe they represent a fair average. In hiring servants in Sweden, it is customary to give them a small sum of money — generally five crowns — in hand, to bind the bargain. This sum is called the stadja, and a servant that has been stadd considers that she is bound in law and honor to fulfill her contract. The servant-girls do not hire out by the week, as with us. They engage by the year, or possibly for six months, but very rarely for a shorter time. Their pay is based upon a year's service. They will always say that they receive one hundred or one hundred and fifty crowns a year — never two or three crowns a week. Their time of service ends in April or October, and should you wish to engage help between these dates, you will find it a very difficult matter. But although your house-maids may legally leave at the end of six months or a year, they do not enter your service with that intention. The rule is that, if you treat them well, they will remain with you as long as you like. It is no uncommon thing, when visiting at the houses of your friends in Sweden, to hear the hostess speak of house-serv- ants that have lived with her ten, fifteen, or even twenty years. There is something patriarchal and beautiful in a house- hold where the servants are treated almost as kindly as the children, and where they, after long years of service, come to identify themselves with the fortunes of their employers. I recollect, one morning in Gothenburg, years ago, I saw a crowd of some two hundred peasants in the square of Gus- tavus Adolphus, in front of the American coasulate. I asked »- ■■ ~^ 1 . i^» fp4 s K /|^ i 1 r 1^1 STATUE OF CHARLES XII., IN THE KING'S PARK, STOCKHOLM STATUE OF GUSTAVUS ADOLPHUS, IN THE SQUARE, STOCKHOLM. 10 a45j 146 SWEDEN AND THE SAVEDES. a Swedisli gentleman, who dropped in on me, the cause of this gathering. " ! " said lie, laughing, ' ' this is the Swedish slave-mar- ket. Come out and see it." They were peasant boys and girls from the country round about, come into the city to hire out for the next year. They stood demurely with little slips of paper — their recom- mendations — in their hands, while the burgers of the Gota passed to and fro, examining them and their "characters." The girls were medium-sized, heavy-limbed, stout and hearty. They were dressed in coarse homespun, but every one wore a pretty kerchief, generally silk, over the head and tied under her chin. All of them had blonde hair, blue eyes, and honest faces, generally freckled, and a picturesque group they formed on the market-place. Soon they pressed around us, the girls asking, " Wants the gentleman a piga« " The youths calling out, "Wants the gentleman a drang ? ' ' And the little boys crying, in their shrill voices, "Wants the gentleman a springpojke V One of them thrust his paper into my hand. It read: "This, my home-living son, Karl, has the warrant of me, his father, to hire out for the next year in any honest call- ing, and he is an honest young man. Johan Renstrom." ' ' How old are you ? ' ' "Seventeen," he said. " Does not the gentleman want me?" It was easy to see that in Sweden the servant seeks her master. Now, with us, the master seeks the servant. He seeks her long and painfully and prayerfully, and — does he find her ? But, however poorly she may be paid, the Swedish serv- ant-girl always seems to have some servant lander her, usu- ally an old woman, who does the dirtier part of the work, such as brushing the boots and bringing up the water from the court-yard. Whether the old woman has a servant to wait on her or not, I do not know; but I strongly suspect she has. Where the old crone lives, where she comes from, what she subsists HOUSEKEEPIN(4 IN STOCKHOLM. 147 on, what she gets for pay, and where she goes to, is always a mystery. You rarely see her, except, perchance, if yon burst into the kitchen at some unguarded moment, you may catch sight of the old hag in a corner, drinking coffee the servant has cooked for her; and this, I take it, is perhaps her only perquisite for the Avork she does, except, perhaps, a little drink-money now and then from the maid. The Swedes are very fond of coffee; tliey are continually cooking it, and out in the country the peasants are not satis- fied unless thej^ are able to drink coffee at least live times a day. The Swedes are fond of sugar, also, and the country folk have a funny habit of placing a lump of sugar between their teeth and thus sweetening their coffee as it flows past the sugar into their mouths. They call this dricka pa bit — drinking cm the bit — and they feel sui-e they get the full sweetness of the sugar more satisfactorily when they have the bit in their own mouths than when they dissolve it in the cup. There is a class of old women in Stockholm who are, or say they are, entrusted to sell silk dresses and jewelry and ornaments and furniture at greatly reduced rates, because their noble employers are too proud themselves to be known in the matter; and these old women are continually coming around to your servants and trying to sell them jewels and dresses and knick-knacks of one sort and another. Whether they sell anything or not, they are sure to be treated to a cup of coffee, and with that the old crones dei:)art, con- tent. You may be certain that the little copx^er kettle will be always steaming on your stove, and that the smell of coffee will always jiervade your rooms. If you go into the poorest restaurants of a city, or into the lowliest peasant's cot in the country, however poor in all else they may be, they can always cook and hand you a cup of good coffee. There is this to be said about it : In traveling, you may be sure never to get a poor cup of coffee in Sweden, and never a good one in England. l^^ Kt^-i^ ^UnlZ-Cfhu. ^ JU S'l'r^i..^ ^^ MutU. 148 SWEDEN AND THE SWEDES. The Swedish servant-girls usually do the marketing, and will procure much more with the money given them than you could get for yourself. Thej^ buy vegetables, fruit, meats, and hsh on the open squares and market-places, not unfrequently at lirst hand from the country people, and cheerfully lug home their twenty or thirty jjounds of pur- chases in large brown baskets. Stockholm has an excellent fish-market. The fish are brought to the city from the Baltic and the lakes around in boats. A large com]:)artment in the stern is tilled with water and bored with holes. Fresh water, therefore, always flows through this compartment, and in it many species of fish are brought to the city alive. No Swedish servant in Stockholm would ever think of buying a dead i:)ike or perch for her master's table. The fish-market is near the statue of Ber- nadotte. It is a large floating wharf in the form of a U. Everywhere around the outside are moored the boats, with their sterns next the wharf; and as you pass along, the owners will lift up in little dip-nets from their wells the squirming fish, and invite you to inspect and buy. On the inside of the wharf, stout old women — very stout, very fat, and with a great quantity of clothing always on them, as much in summer as in winter — red-faced old women, padded out to a wonderful extent, and tied about with shawls and bundled up Avith cloaks — buy the fish at whole- sale and keep them in little stationary wells to tempt the passing servant-maids. When a fish dies in these wells, he is either given away or disposed of in some mysterious manner. He is never offered to a customer. The Swedes are very economical and careful of every- thing. Skim-milk is regularlj' carted through the city in STOCKHOLM Ml^K-CART. nuUSEKEEPING IN .STOCKHOLM. 149 glass jars and sold; but it is always sold as skim-niilk. In slaughtering animals, the Swedes slaughter them in a sort of friendly, gentle, and sympathizing manner, and as for the animals, they only make a faint and jjerfnnctory sliow of resistance to playing their prescribed part in the little tragedy. The butcher, with his arm around the beast's neck, holds a bowl under its cut throat and catches all the blood. This blood is used in making soups and puddings. These are as black as your boot, but are much relished by the Swedes, although I could never bring myself to taste them. A black soup made of the blood of the goose is esteemed a rare delicacy in Scandinavia. In housekeeping, you soon learn that different parts of Sweden are noted for different products. Sodertelje is famed for its ring- twisted cakes; Halmstad for its smoked salmon; Westeras for its pickles; Jonkoping for its matches; Kungelf for its gingerbread; Enkoping for its horse-radish; Arboga for its ale; Grenna for its pears; Eskilstuna for its cutlery; and Norrk oping for its woolen goods, and the pug- noses of its inhabitants. The Swedes are a very cleanly people. They are cleanly about their persons, about their houses, and about their cities. Tlie streets of Stockholm are neatly swept every night, and the houses are so dusted and brushed, and the floors are so thoroughly scoured, that it was a common remark among visiting Americans that one could eat his dinner anywhere off the floor of a Swedish gentleman's house. Should you have occasion to emjDloy a doctor in Sweden, you will find him to be not only a skilled physician, but a highly educated and most honorable gentleman. You will also be furnished with another proof of the honesty of the Swedes, and their friendly confidence in each other. The Swedish physicians do not make out or send in any bill to their patients. What you pay your doctor is entirely optional with yourself. The rich pay him liberally, whether they have need of his services or hot, if he has been once retained by them. The poor pay him a small sum, and the 150 SWEDKiS^ AND THE SWEDES. very poor pay liim nothing at all; and yet he visits them and cares for them as assiduously as he does for the rich. On the last day of the old year, the evening of the 31st of December, you place in an envelope, addressed to your physician, a sum of money which you think sufficient not only to compensate him, but to accord with your own position in life, and enclosing your card with the money in the envelope, send it by a servant to your doctor. The servant returns with the card of the doctor in a sealed envel- ope directed to you. This shows you that the doctor has received your money, is your only receipt, and no question in regard to money ever passes between you. I ascertained that the usual amount sent by families to doctors for a year — and this amount was sent regularly, whether they had emi^loyed their doctor or not — was from one hundred to five hundred crowns, according to the posi- tion of the family in society. Should you send him noth- ing, he will come and prescribe for you all the next year, and all the year after, and so long as you live; and he is too dignified ever to say a word about it. The Government of Sweden cares for the bodies as well as the souls of its subjects. There is always a i)hysician within easy distance of the remotest hamlets, and as the people in the back country live far from one another, and are poor and not able to pay sufficient for the proper main- tenance of the doctor, the Government gives all doctors in outlying districts a salary proportioned in size to their remoteness from the business centers. The Government also sees to it that the remotest parishes are supplied with a minister of the Gospel. Many bachelors, and some families, too, in Stockholm dine at the restaurants, of which there are many in the city, and all of them good. Special arrangements may be made by the month, which are very cheap. The waiters at the restaurants, however, always expect a fee; and if you do not x^ay it, you will soon be badly served. The custom of feeing is general in Sweden. I know many people complain about this; but for my x^art, I cisn 152 SWEDEN AND THE SWEDES. never could see aiiytliing j)articLilaiiy bad about it. It is the custom of the country, and it is expected. The waiter gets the better part of his salary in that manner, and for one, I know of no way in which you get so much for your money as by judiciously "tipping" waiters and servants; and at the end of the week or month, if you will reckon up the amount you pay out in drink-money, you will lind it will be but a very small percentage of your expenses, and that this percentage has brought you more than an equal amount spent in any other way. Not only do you fee the waiters at restaurants and servants at hotels, but, if you make a visit of a day or more at the city house or country- seat of a friend, you are always expected to fee the serv- ants on going. In Sweden you never tell your servant to raise the win- dow. She can not raise it. It does not raise. The windows swing outward, like double doors, on hinges at the sides of the window-frames, and are held open by long iron hooks. They shut to against a perpendicular stud in the middle of the window, and are fastened to this by means of short hooks. In October, the glaziers put on double windows. This looked ominous, and strengthened the shivering anticipa- tions with which the colossal stoves had already inspired me. The double windows are placed on the inside, and ojien inward, as the regular windows open outward; that is to say, if you oi^en them at all, which the Swedes do not. The moment the double window^s are on, every crack around the window-frame and down the middle is pasted over with strips of white paper about one and a half inches Avide. Before doing this, however, a strip of cotton-batting is jjlaced on the window-sill between the two windows, and looks as white and fleecy as the sno\v Avithout. Many Swedes place on this strip of cotton-batting little wooden houses, and tin soldiers, and a tin cannon, and little groups of very green wooden trees, so that they may have on this tAvo-inch strip a little, picturesque panorama as a landscape to look upon all winter long. HOUSEKEEPING IN STUCKHULM. 153 In an entire snite of rooms they will leave, pei'haps, one pane of glass that will open on hinges. They do not wash for, and won't submit to, amy other ventilation. The Swedes are in mortal terror of a draft. They are always talking abont drafts, and how dangerous they are. They are morally certain that about all the ills that Hesh is heir to arise from drafts in some way or other. If you have a pain or an ache anywhere from head to toe, they at once ask when and where you were subjected to a draft. There are drafts from the windows; there are drafts from the doors; there are drafts from the ceiling. But a draft from the floor ! Horrors ! That is the most deadly of all. So everything is battened up tight for the winter, and around the window-casings and below them they frequently place rugs and thick strips of carpeting. The genuine Swede never thinks, even in summer, of sleeping with the window open. If the servant-girl flnds your window has been open all night, she will hold up her hands in holy horror and predict that it will be the death of you within a month. I think during that time she watches you for signs of approaching dissolution; and, when it does not come, she explains it all by saying: "0, it may do for a foreigner; but it would never do for a Swede." BIRO'S EYE VIEW FROM THE TOWER OF ST JACOBS CHURCH (154) CHAPTER Xir, H IS TI K a THE A ME R J CA K FL A G . jN taking possession of the archives and l^ropei'ty of the United States at Stock- holm, I was surprised to find there was no American flag there. Talking witli my colleagues, the Ministers of other countries, I was informed that no foreign \ Minister at Stockholm ever hoisted his country's flag, and that to do so would be considered a breach of dix^lomatic etiquette. "But," I remonstrated, "when one of your national holidays comes round, wouldn't you like to see your country's banner waving over you 'I " "Oh, yes, it would be very fine, no doubt," tliej^ an- swered; "but we assure you, dear Mr. Minister, it will never do; it will never do. It is not the custom of the country. ' ' ' ' Remember, ' ' they added, ' ' you are inexperienced as Minister; do not commit a grave error, which will surely mar your future." " You must recollect, too," said one good friend, "your flag is the flag of a republic; Sweden is a kingdom. A word to the wise is sufficient. ' ' What was I to do ? I did not wish to offend my good friends, the Swedes; that was the last thing a Minister should be guilty of. And I certainly did not want to see an American liolidaj' go by without hoisting the American flag from the American legation. The question troubled me a great deal. All at once a thought seized me, like an inspiration. I sent to America for a flag. I procured flag-staft' and hal- C15.5) 156 SWEDEN AND THE SWEDES. ya.i'ds, and from my own drawings I had carved an Ameri- can eagle, which was gilded and perclied on top of the flag- pole. Flag, eagle, and stafl: I concealed in the legation, and bided my time. Undoubtedly the greatest character Sweden has ever pro- duced is Gustavus Adolphus. His life and deeds belong not to Sweden alone, but to the world. He stands out in history the hero of the great war of the seventeenth century — that war which for thirty years shook the con- tinent of Europe to its foundations. After twelve long years of battle, the armies of the Em- peror, under the great generals, Tilly and Wallenstein, were ev- erywhere victorious. The Protestant princes. were beaten, divided, disheartened, and the free cities of Germany lay bleeding at the feet of the imperial Freedom of and religion about to be crushed out of Conti- nental Europe. Then what? A little band of thirteen thousand Swedes sail from their home in the Northland, across the stormy Baltic, and land on the shores of Ger- many. But at their head is their Golden King, the Lion of the North, Gustavus Adolphus. "Oh, ho!" cried the Emperor Ferdinand; "we have another little enemy come against us." And his courtiers laughingly replied : "The snow-king will melt as he approaches the southern sun." But the great commander was not made of stufl: that. GUSTAVUS ADOLPHUS. cohorts, thought seemed DEATH OF GUSTAVUS ADOLPHUS. "The great King was dead." (l.W) 158 SWEDEN AND THE SWEDES. melts in the sunshine. "He is one of the seven generals of the world who have revolutionized the art of war, ' ' said Najjoleon the Great. ' ' To pray often is almost to con- quer," said Gustavus himself. His march was a succession of victories. The Protestant princes took heart and rallied under his standard; the free cities oijened wide their gates to welcome his victorious legions. Conquering and to conquer, he swoops across Europe from the Baltic to the Danube. He meets and routs the THE CHOIR OF GUSTAVUS ADOLPHUS. grandest army of the Empire, under the veteran Tilly, hero of a hundred battle-fields; and his victorious march is stayed only by the eternal hills. From the Alps to the Polar Sea, the power of the great Swedish King is supreme. No man ever wielded that wide-extended power before. No man since. But the forces of the Empire rally once more, under that dark and mysterious soldier of fortune, Wallenstein. He intrenches on the field of Leutzen. The Swedish army camp in front of his intrenchments, HOISTING THE AJIEHICAN FLAG. 159 and the night before the battle sing the war-psalm their great King himself has composed, beginning — "Fear not, little flock," "Put on your armor! put on your armor!" said his generals on the morning of the battle. But the King refused . " God is my cuirass," answered this soldier of the cross; and galloping to the head of his brave army, himself led the charge, and plunged into the hell of battle. That little army of the Lord swept on to conquer or to die. Hand to hand they grappled with the grim legions of despot- ism. But in the very crucial moment of the fight, back out of the thickest of the fray comes, wildly charg- ing, the war-horse of their hero King — riderless, saddle cov- ered with blood. The great King was dead. But he died in vic- tory — a victory that saved freedom of religion for you and me, for the world, and for all time. Of a truth, "the sword of Gustavus Adolphus was mighty as the pen of Luther." Well, when the anniversary of the death and victory of this great captain of the Swedish host came round — the 6th of November, 1883 — and when the great choral societies of Stockholm, bearing banners and followed by vast multi- tudes of the Swedish jDopulace, marched through the streets of Sweden's capital, and gathering abotit the mau- soleum on the Island of the Knights, where lies the mightjr CHARLES XII. 160 SWEDEN AND THE .SWEDES. dead, sang pfeans in his praise, then it happened, somehow, that, regardless of precedent or custom, the flag of this free republic — aye ! flag, flag-staff, golden eagle, and all — was run out from the American legation; and the starry banner of America waved in unison with the yellow cross of Sweden in honor of the mightiest warrior for the freedom of our faith. This act was everywhere approved in Sweden. It was praised by both the people and the press. Perhaps the best expression of this approval was given by an editorial article in the Nya Dagligt AllaJianda, one of the leading newspapers of Stock- holm. This editorial said: "An especial trib- iite — beautiful, but simple and unosten- tatious, as becomes that land, the United States of America, by whose Minister this tribute has to-day been paid — deserves a grateful mention. " Minister Thomas has to-day, from the balcony of his resi- the starry banner of CXEIJSTJER >irt dence on the King's Park, hoisted America. "This Swedish-loving American, who, during a long sojourn in Sweden as consul for his natiA^e land, learned to know and to appreciate our own land and its people, has to-day, for the first time, hoisted the American flag — not to celebrate any holiday of his own country, but to do honor to the memory of the greatest among the warriors for religious liberty. "By this act, Mr. Thomas also honors the founder of the flrst New Sweden in America — the Swedish colony on HOISTING THE AMEKU'AN FLAG. 161 the Delawaiv, which, as is well known, was settled nnder King Gustavus Adolphns." After this, it may well be believed, the flag of America floated unchallenged in the capital of the Northland. It waved on high on the birthday of Washington, on that memorial day when we decorate the graves of onr brave boys in blue, who saved the Union, and on the Fourth of July, that gave the republic birth. But I hoisted our flag impartially, on Swedish holidays as well as our own; and the stars and stripes floated out as j)roudly on the birthday of King Oscar as on that of Washington. Many a time, some American traveler has dropped into the lega- tion, saying, in sub- stance : ' ' How are you, sir? I've got no busi- ness here, and don't want to take up your time ; but I could not help just dropping in to thank you for giving me a sight of the old flag, way up here in the North. It does me good, sir." And other great kings adorn the annals of Swedish history. There is Gustavus Vasa, who drove the tyrant Christian from the throne, freed his country, founded the glorious Vasa line of kings, and is revered to-day in the Northland, much as Washington is with us, as ' ' the father of his country." Then there is Charles XII., "the madman of Europe." King at fifteen, himself places the crown upon his head, and makes no promises to the estates. At sixteen, the 11 TEGNER. o 162 SWEDEN AND THE SWEDES. mightiest hunter of his realm, lie throws away gun, spear, and sword, and armed but with a club, single-handed attacks the northern bear, and slays the shaggy monarch of the Swedish forests. Four powers join in war against him — Denmark, Saxony, Poland, Russia— and, a stripling of nineteen, he beats them all within a twelve-month. With an army of but eight thousand half-starved, half- frozen Swedes, on a chill November morning, he charges upon forty thousand Russians behind intrenchments at Narva, and puts them to utter route; taking, in prisoners alone, more than double his little army. ' ' A lofty form in mantle blue," I seem to see him now, as at Bender, when single-handed and alone, with saber drawn, he defied the whole Turkish army. Ah ! how like the play of northern lights over a snow-f jeld flashes the good sword of Charles XII. across the page of history ! When we reflect upon the mighty deeds of the Swedes, it is difficult to believe that they have been performed by a nation numer- ically so small. Sweden to-day contains a larger population than at any former period, and yet it does not number five million inhabitants — much less than the State of New York. At the height of its grandeur under Gustavus Adolphus and his generals — when it was one of the great powers of the world — Sweden, with all its conquered provinces, Finland included, only numbered two millions and a half. It has been truly said that, in comparison to their num- ibers, the Swedes have made grander campaigns, fought JENNY LIND. IIOISTI^HJ THE AMERICAN KLAU. 163 more battles, and gained moie victories than any other nation on the globe. And it may well be asked, Did ever so small a nation play so large, important, and decisive a part on the world's stage \ But Sweden has other great names besides her kings and lier warriors — Oxenstjerna, the uncrowned king, the first statesman of the Thirty Years' War, who carried forward the great Avork of Gastavus Adolphus to a triumphant close; Linn^^ % (* A S/VEDISH WINTER LANDSCAPE. (From a painting by J. Silven.) This class exercise lasted twenty minutes; then came a walk in column all around the room, and in and out amona- the gymnastic apparatus. The walk quickened as it pro- gressed, and ended in the liveliest kind of a run and scam- per; and all the while, walking and running, we were exercising our arms, swinging them about, and up and down, and out and in, as our leader swung his. Then came twenty minutes of more serious gymnastics on pole and bars, varied with jumping; or we might fence with foils, if we liked; then a quick, cold sponge-bath in WINTER AT STOCKHOLM. 193 the basement, and we walked oat at four o'clock into the pitchy darkness of midnight, punctured by the myriad bright points of the street-lamps gleaming all down the King's Park and along the harbor quays. The Swedes have for generations made a study of the theory and practice of gymnastics. By means of them they not only keep the body in health and develop the muscles, but they cure many of the ills ' ' that flesh is heir to." The Swedish sick-gymnastics were invented by an emi- nent Swede, Prof. Per Henrik Ling, in the early part of the present century. This system is known and appreci- ated not only in Sweden, but in most of the nations of Europe, and it has been introduced into many of the cities of America under the name of "the Swedish movement cure." I first tried this cure by exercise at Gothenburg, many years ago. At half -past seven on a dark winter's morning I walked through the quiet gas-lighted streets, and entered the long, large hall of the gymnasiiim. Thirty or forty gentlemen were quietly promenading up and down the hall, or submitting themselves to the manipulations of attendants. I flrst consulted the physician in charge, who received all i^atients in a private office. As there was nothing the matter with me, save that, having been confined too closely to my office, I needed a little more general exercise, our interview was short. The good doctor proceeded en regie with me, and wrote out ten movements on a slip of paper about as large as that on which an American physician would write a prescriij- tion. On receiving my list, I found it to contain such cabal- istic and awe-inspiring words as JiaJfUggandetvaarmfram- nedforing, Mgmotstdendebenbakatdragning, and the still more dire halfstrdcJcandeTtdgridvandsittandesnedbakdt- dragning. This was dreadful; still I did not lose my faith in the Swedes, but sufliered the portentous prescription to be 13 fi 194 SM^EDEN AXI) T]1E SWEDES. pinned upon mj' coat-collar behind, and joined tlie throng of promenaders, all of whom were similarly decorated, with a feeling that I was now in proper uniform, and was one of them. Soon an attendant stepped up to me, bowed, turned me round, read tlie prescription on my back, and gave me the first movement; then after a walk of two or three min- utes I received the second, and so on. Some of the movements were comical, but they were all given with gravity, precision, and almost solemnity. I INTERIOR OF A MECHANICAL GYMNASTIC INSTITUTE. noticed one worthy old white-haired gentleman with a most philanthropic countenance. He was perched on a peg inserted in an upright pole about five feet from the floor. He stood on this peg with one foot, while his dis- engaged leg, so to speak, which he kept stiff as a crow-bar, was being slowly pumped back and forward by a solemn attendant in gold siiectacles. The old man afterward told me that he was beino- treated for a chronic headache of twentj^ years' standing; that this pumping and other motions had drawn the blood WINTKK AT STOCKHOLM. 195 from his head to the lower exti'emities, and that the head- ache of a score of yeaxs had vanished. In another part of the liall you see a man lying on liis back, vvliile two attendants slowly open and shut his legs, like a pair of scissors. Another man, reclining, with vest open, is having his stomach vigorously kneaded. ' ' Been to a big dinner last night; lots o' wine; feels badly this morning; have him all right in half an hour; better than seltzer water," explains the doctor. The fundamental idea of the Swedish sick-gymnastics seemed to me to be, by proper motions, either to draw the blood away from portions of the body that were receiving too much, were congested, or to send the blood to i^arts that were receiving too little, and were languishing for lack of the life-giving current; and I found this cure was particularly efficacious in cases of partial paralysis, rheu- matism, neuralgia, chronic headache, dyspepsia, general weakness, and curvature of the spine. There is another way in which this cure works good. After forty-five, a man grows neither stronger nor more active. The reverse is unfortunately the case. His motions also gradually grow more restricted. The sick-gymnastics carry out the motions of arms, legs, and body with the broad swing and to the full extent of youth, and so do much to arrest the advance of age — to keep the old man young. The greater portion of the movements of the sick-gym- nastics are passive; that is to say, the movements are made upon you actively by attendants, you at the same time offering greater or less resistance. This requires a large corps of assistants, with corresponding expense, and has given rise to the mechanical gymnastics. The inventor of this system is Prof. Gustaf Zander, a gentleman still in the prime of life and activity. Stepping into his great gymnasium in Stockholm, you would at first imagine yourself in some lai-ge factory at Lawrence or Lowell. There are the shafts running the 196 SWEDEN AND THE SWEDES, entire lengtli of the liall, close up to the ceiling; from the shafts, belting riins to a hundred machines of most compli- cated structure, and running with all the clatter and bang of a large steam mill. But the raAV materials here are human beings— sick, ailing, suffering humanity; and the product in many cases is health. Here a cou^^le of small padded wheels travel around over a man's stomach the way digestion ought to go; there three small padded strikers, like those that strike the wires of a piano, rapidly play up and down a patient's backbone. Beyond, a machine grips a man under the arm-x;)its and raises his shoulders as he expands his chest; and further on you may hop onto a saddle, put your feet in stirrups, pick up the reins, and set going a motor under- neath which will give you the exact movement of a hard- trotting horse; and this you take till the little minute-glass beside you has run down twice, then stop your horse by a crank, and, dismounting, give way to the next gentleman. In gymnastics, sick and well, the Swedes stand first among the nations, and an hour in the gymnasium every day will keep you well and strong through the long winter, with its dark and gloom and its many festivities. CHAPTER XV. CHBIST3IAS IN THE KOnTHLAND. tLL Sweden gives itself up to tke enjoyment of Yule- tide. First comes Christmas eve, next Cliristmas itself, then second-day Christmas, then third-day ^s§p7- Christmas, and on all four days are the Christmas festivities celebrated. The merry-making then slackens a little, but it does not cease. It bursts forth again in family parties and dinners on the last day of the old year and the first day of the new; and still again on the 6th of January, a legal holiday, called by the Swedes "tretton-dag Jul" — thirteenth-day Yule. This day and the evening before are celebrated with nearly the same brilliancy as Christmas eve and Christmas day themselves, and not till January ]3th, or "twentieth-day Yule," do good old-fashioned families in Sweden consider the celebration of Christmas as fairly over. Ever since early November everybody has been at work buying and preparing presents and planning and deliberat- ing; all carried on with the greatest secrecy and in a pro- foundly mysterious manner, for no one must know, or even guess, what is in store for him at Christmas. As December draws on, the streets and squares of Stock- holm are thronged with people making Christmas pur- chases. The holiday goods are displayed as attractively as possible in the windows, and the shops are all brilliantly lighted, as they needs must be, for now it is dark at three o'clock in the afternoon. On the Sunday before Yule, the rigid Swedish law firmly closing all the shops on the Lord's day is relaxed. On this one Sunday evening, and this one alone of all the year, the shops are open; and now is the time to walk forth over the crisp, new-fallen snow, with the (197; 198 SWEDEN AND THE SWEDES. frosty uorthern stars shining above your head, and mingle with the croAvds of shop23ers and siglit-seers, and gaze with them into the flaming shop-windows. You will surge along with the throng up Drottning gatan, through Hamn gatan, down Regerings gatan, across the great square of Gustavus Adolphus, over the North bridge, and then along the narrow Vesterlang gatan, in the city proper; for on this route are the most brilliantly lighted shops, the finest display of goods, and the densest masses of the populace. Not only the sidewalks, but the entire streets from curb to curb, are full of people; but there is uo hurrying, no crowding nor hustling, no loud talk nor swearing. Everybody is orderly and good-tem- pered, and there is nothing for the tall, helmeted policeman to. 207 award them a pair of soundly cuffed ears. Tlie whole scene seemed like a Protestant carnival. At my host's were assembled a pretty family party. A large Christmas-tree, ablaze with tapers, stood at the far- ther end of the salon. Soon live masked figures stalked in — a king, queen, two sailors, and a lady. The sailors Avere evidently girls in disguise. The masqneraders walked to the middle of the room, under the chandelier. One by CHRISTMAS EVENING IN GOTHENBURG, one they took out the Julklappar (Christmas presents) from their capacious baskets and knapsacks, read the name of the lucky recipient, who stepped forward out of the circle of friends standing around, and received his gift with a bow and a '' Tackar sa mycket" — "Thank you so much." The distribution over, the maskers were invited to a side- table and treated to cake and wine. They were pumped with all sorts of questions, too, but they were very can- 208 SWEDEN AND THE SWEDES. ning in tlieir answers, and gave no clew to the sender of the gifts. I noticed, also, that the knowing ones carried straws, through which they sucked the wine without re- moving their masks. Then the host gave each one a dricks- penning — a small piece of money — and they departed; but hardly were they gone when in came another masked party loaded with presents, and then another and another; and so they came trooping in the whole evening. The Christmas gifts were all disguised in nondescript bundles and multifarious wrappers. A large box, the size of a seaman's chest, after being opened with great diffi- culty, was found to contain something that looked like a leg of beef, and this in turn held the real present, a hand- some silk dress, all made and ready to put on. One young lady, after laboriously undoing a thousand and one papers, found as a kernel a pair of shoe -heels; but half an hour after, untying another bundle, she discovered she was the recipient of a pair of beautiful white satin slippers to which the heels fitted perfectly. Another lady, who had been engaged to be married for seven long years, and whose betrothed was standing at her side, received a wedding-trunk filled with useful but significant articles, such as a single person would hardly need. A merry laugh burst forth at this broad hint, in which the procrastinating pair joined as heartily as any. The presents were of all sorts, from jumping-jacks and match-boxes to silver sets, oil-paintings, silks, and satins. Their number, too, was something prodigious to my New England eyes. I am sure the daughter of the house, Froken Hannah, received at least one hundred. She sat unwrapping them and nearly covered up with loose paper, which two servants bore away in huge armfuls, until forced to stop from sheer exhaustion; and that, too, when great piles of presents were still unopened. Supper was served at ten o'clock. The siigar-bowl made a lasting impression on me. It was a square box of em- bossed silver. The lid was closed and locked, and I shall never forget the maternal dignity with which our good host- CHRISTMAS IN THK NOKTIILAND. 209 ess, Fru Lyon, drew from her girdle a bunch of keys — badge of her liouse- wifely authority — delib- erately unlocked the sug- ar-bowl, and lifted the silver lid. No servant or child, however sweet a tooth they had, could pil- fer sugar in that house. This one little act pleased me greatly. It was a brill- iant illustration of the care and Avatchfuluess with which the Swedish mother superintends all her household duties. It reminded me of our good New England grandmoth- ers, and how carefully, and conscientiously, and grandly they presided over their households. I sometimes wonder if the girls of the present day^ will ever make such ' grandmothers as we have- had. But to return to oui Swedish supper. The first course was lut-fisk. This is a ling or a cod prepared for a Christmas delicacy by being buried for days in wood-ashes. A piece of lut-fisk placed on your plate immediately falls apart into fiakes; each 14 THE YULE SHE^F 210 SWKDEN AND TJIE SWEDES. flake is translucent, and trembles like jelly. When eaten alone it is tasteless, bnt when seasoned with salt, mnch Xjepper, and lots of butter- sauce of two kinds, and well mixed with a mealy potato, the lut-fisk is delicious. The next course was rice porridge, with jjowdered cinnamon and cream; and the third and last, a great fat goose roasted to a tui'n. These are the three time-honored dishes for Christmas eve; and while we supped, every family in Sweden, from the King to the peasant, was eating just the same sort of supper, with the same courses; and in every home throughout the Northland, from the palace to the backwoods hut, stood the Jul-gran — the Christmas-tree — with ribbons fluttering from its branches, and wax tapers burning brightly from every bough. One wintry afternoon, at Jul-tide, I had been skating on a pretty lake — Dalsjon — three miles from Gothenburg. On my way home I noticed at every farmer's house we passed there was erected in the middle of the door-yard a pole, to the toiD of whicli was bound a large full sheaf of grain. "Why is this T' I asked my comrade. "Oh, that's for the birds, the little wild birds; they must have a merry Christmas, too, you know." Yes, so it is; there is not a jjeasant in all SAveden who will sit down with his children to a Christmas dinner within doors till he has first raised aloft a Christmas dinner for the little birds that live in the cold and snow without. CHAPTER XYI. A E U S S I A N P U NEB AL. OKOUNEFF, the Minister Plenipotentiary of His Majesty the Tzar of Russia at the court of Sweden and Norway, died on the last day of the '^^^^^' old year. At eleven o'clock in the forenoon of January 5th, 1884, I went to attend his funeral. The side- walk and entire street in front of the Russian chapel were strewn with the tips of spruce boughs, finely cut up and scattered thickly over the snow. Swedish grenadiers, with black horse-hair plumes in their caps and musket at shoul- der, lined the hall and stair-way. Ascending two flights, I entered an ante-ioom, and was received by M. De Berends, the first secretary of the Rus- sian legation. He shook hands with everyone, as a host at a party, only in a more subdued and quiet manner. I then entered the chapel. It was about the size of an ordi- nary drawing-room, and its windows were darkened. In the center of the dim apartment, lying upon a naiTow couch, was the dead minister ; a stout, florid man with red- dish whiskers and mustache, sprinkled with gray, looking like an English sea captain, and apparently some sixty years of age. He was clad in a black coat with red and gold facings ; his hands were clasped over his breast, the left hand bare, the right having on a white glove, and his head rested upon a white satin pillow with a deep lace fringe. Over him was thrown a crimson pall, falling low on either side, with silver fringe, and at the corners great gold tassels lying out upon the floor. The upper i^art of the pall was turned down quite low on the breast of the dead man, and the lining of white satin showed like a sheet (310 212 SWEDEN AND THE SWEDES. folded over the top of a coverlet. The couch was inclined so the head of my deceased colleague was somewhat higher than his feet, and he lay as naturally and peacefully as if, having dressed for a banquet, he had thrown himself down for a moment's sleep. An immense candle burned at his head, and one on each side. On either side his feet was a palm-tree about six feet high, in a tub ; on either side his breast, an olive-tree, and behind his head a lofty palm spread upward to the ceiling. Beyond his feet were seven little round tables, standing in two rows of three tables each, with one in the middle. On these were crimson cushions bearing the stars and orders and decorations of him who would never wear them more ; and upon a stool between the two farthest tables rested his chapeau and sword. He lay with his feet toward the altar. To the right stood my colleagues of the diplomatic corps, members of the Swedish Cabinet, high officers of the court, and secre- taries of legation ; all blazing with gold lace and sparkling with decorations ; all wearing swords and bearing x^lumed chapeaux on their arms. The left side of the chapel was filled with ladies. The}r, also, were standing, for no one is permitted to sit during service in a Russian church. In front of us the floor was raised a foot. Across this platform ran a gilded screen, some ten feet high, from one side of the chapel to the other. Holy pictures were upon the screen, and on double doors in the middle were rexjresented the Saviour and the Yirgin. At the left, below the platform, was a choir of four men standing in a little group facing each other. The entire rear and side walls of the chapel were draped with thick black cloth like velvet, with silver fringes and silver tassels, and high up silver cherubims at frequent intervals. The windows were filled with green plants, but no flowers were to be seen. As I entered, I heard a priest chanting behind the closed screen, and the choir responded musically from its position outside. Soon the priest came out of a side door, continu- A RUSSIAN FUNERAL. 213 ing his chant. Then he stood before the middle doors and chanted ; then lie swung his burning censer at the corpse, at the pictures of the Saviour and Virgin, at the gentlemen (whereat we all bowed as the spicy fumes rolled toward us), then at the ladies, and thej^ bowed — the priest bowing all the time. He wore an inside dress of white stuff, but this was nearly covered u]p by a black cloak with silver borders ; and on his head was a very tall black hat with no rim and growing larger as it went up, like an inverted sugar loaf. Soon the priest went inside the screen again and came out, and went in and out, and in and out; and all the while he chanted, and all the while the choir kept resi)onding. Then he came out with his hat off; but he held a small silver dish covered with a crimson napkin with silver border on liis liead with one hand, and in the other he carried a similar dish of silver. And it seemed as if the whole service, chanting and resi^onses, was now gone over again. At last the priest retired and chanted from within. Again he appears with two other holy vessels — silver cups — one on his head, the other in his hand. More chanting and responses; and every little while he swings his censer in every direction and crosses himself. The dishes and cups no doubt contained the holy emblems, bread and wine, and the service we were listening to was the Russian liturgy for the dead, equivalent to the Catholic requiem mass; but it was conducted in the old Slavonian tongue, the language of the Russian Bible, and not the Russian spoken to-day, and, of course, no one, except the few Russians present, could understand a word of all that was spoken and chanted. So we stood and shifted our weight from one tired leg to the other, and gave a sort of wondering attention to the strange service, but wondered most when it would all come to an end. Now the priest comes out from behind the screen with a large book in his hands — the gospels — and he holds it up in different positions, and embraces it, and hugs it to his bosom; and all the time chanting and responses. 314 SWEDEN AND THE SWEDES. And now he darts suddenly down among the congrega- tion, and passing swiftly by the left side of the couch, sta- tions himself behind the head of the corpse, and here again repeats the whole service from the beginning, as it appeared to me. Now a servant goes round and gives every person a long, slender wax taper, which we lighted one from another. And there we stood, a crowded room full, women to left, men to right, each with a lighted taper in hand, throwing a warm glow on his face in the darkened chapel and the dead man lying so calm and mute on his crimson spread couch in the midst of us. When the tapers were all lit, the priest advanced close to the left side of the couch, and, evidently addressing the dead man, spoke for some minutes. Then another service was held at the dead man' s head. Candles were now brought out from behind the screen, and there was more chanting. Then a servant appeared with a little pulpit draped in black with silver trimmings. The priest stationed himself behind it, took out a written discourse and read it. He still had his burning taper, but all the time he had been darting about he used his prayer- book as a candle-stick, shutting the taper tightly between the leaves. It seemed as if we should all be corpses before that serv- ice came to an end. Everybody looked dreadfully tired, and my fingers grew numb with holding the slim taper so steadily. Opposite me, on the other side of the little tables with the decorations, was a slight, blonde lady, who looked so wearily around. She kept sinking forward, and one could easily see how great a struggle it was for the poor girl to keep her feet. From her my eyes wandered to the dead man, and now I saw that on top of his hands was an icon, a little picture of the Saviour set in gold, and on the satin pillow to the left of his head was a large, green cross adorned with white camellias. I was at last aroused from a reverie by the priest pro- nouncing one word with peculiar emphasis. Instantly A RUSSIAN FIJNKKAL. 215 everyone blew out his taper, and I blew out mine in good time, just as if I linew what it all meant. A servant col- lected the half -burnt tapers, and the discourse came to an end at last. Then there was more chanting, x^art of it low, measured, solemn, and beautiful. Then the priest approached the left side of the couch and took away the picture from the dead hands that held it. But a paper was placed in the right hand of the corpse, containing an absolution from sins ; and another slip, con- taining an image of Christ and the Mother of God, was put on the dead man' s forehead, as a sign that he was a Chris- tian. I presume these i^apers are regarded as in some sense the credentials of the deceased from God's Church below to God Himself above, and are no doubt matters of very grave import from a Russian point of view. The priest carried a little oblong glass dish, the size of a large salt-cellar, filled with light-gray earth, and, continu- ing his chanting, threw a small si)Oonful of this earth on the dead man' s mouth and whiskers, another on his breast and hands, and a third — after the attendant had stripped down the crimson pall — on his abdomen. "Dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return." Four or five high offi- cials followed in turn, and each threw earth on the dead man, generally upon his breast, but sometimes on his legs. Some threw on three spoonfuls, others scattered one spoon- ful here and there. Then the attendants stripped the crimson covering down and off. I saw the untrodden soles of the dead man' s boots, in which he was to make his last journey. And now I saw that what had appeared to me to be the long, narrow couch on which the dead man was lying was the lower half of a coffin placed on a catafalque. The feet and legs of the corpse lay within the coffin, but his body sloped up out of it, so that his head and breast lay as if on a bed. Now, a tin covering, like a steep roof with ridge-pole running lengthwise down the middle, was placed over the corpse, and above this a higher and more pointed roof of wood, beautifully sculptured. It was, in fact, the entire 216 SWEDEN AND THE SWEDES. Upper half of the coffin, and was fastened tightly down in some way without the use of screws. But the wide lace borders of the satin pillow were left protruding from with- in. The gentlemen furtively looked at their watches ; we had been standing exactly one hour and three-quarters. Then the affable Russian secretary shook hands with all of us, and thanked us for coming, and we passed down- stairs between the files of black-plumed Swedish soldiers. The hearse Avas drawn by four black horses with silver trappings, and the driver's black chapeau was trimmed with silver'. The hearse was open on e'^'ery side ; there was nothing between the bottom and top but the four corner posts, yet the coffin was invisible, for it was completely enveloped with the crimson pall, Avhich I now saw had a great white cross worked with silver thread in the center-. And so the Minister of all the Russias was driven to his Swedish grave, and in all the carriages which followed him there was not a relative. M. Okouneff, it was said, left not a blood-relation in the world, and his fortune went to the government of his country. CHAPTER XYII, OPENJ J\ G THE E I KHDA G . fHE Riksdag-, or Diet, of Sweden is opened with great ^^ pomp and ceremony; greater, perhaps, than attends tlie assembling of any other parliamentary body in '^^ the world. The Diet of 1884 was opened by the King on the 17th of January. In Sweden the mountain comes to Mahomet — Mahomet does not go to the mountain. Both houses of the Riksdag leave the parliament building and come to the pal- ace to have their sessions opened by the King. At eleven o'clock they attended divine service in the cathedral, in the square hard by, and then marched to the palace and took their places in the grand hall of the throne. The Upper House sat on the right, the Lower on the left, of the wide central aisle, looking from the head of the hall. The speakers of the two houses, appointed the day before by the King, sat in front, within the bar, on little blue stools. The diplomatic corps were present by invitation, and occupied a gallery to the right of the throne. The Queen, with her maids of honor and ladies of the court, tilled the gallery oj^posite. At one o'clock, a band of music, with silver instruments, stationed in a lofty gallery at the foot of the hall, strikes up a grand march and from a x)ortal, beneath the gallery of the Queen, enter the roj^al satellites, one hundred strong, in their time-honored blue and yellow uniforms, marching two and two. Next come the pages of the court — pretty little fellows in knee-breeches, white silk stockings, and slippers, with 218 SWEDEN AND THE SWEDES. cocked hats, and their hair done up in queues, looking exactly like the pages that come on the stage in opera. Then, preceded by heralds, enters the first marshal of the court, followed by the officers of the royal houseliold. Most noticeable among the brilliant throng following on are the officers of the staff, with gaudy blue and yellow ostrich-plumes Hoating from the chapeaux borne on their arms; the master of the hunt, the master of the horse, the master of ceremonies, the royal chamberlains and marshals. THE CATHEDRAL INTERIOR, STOCKHOLM. the sixteen judges of the Supreme Court, not enveloped in robes, but girded with swords, and the dignified and dec- orated members of the Norwegian and Swedish cabinets. At last, preceded by heralds and the grand marshal of the kingdom, bearing his staff of office, the royal princes march in, one by one, each wearing a crown and clad in a long mantle of purple, the train of which is borne up by a chamberlain of the court. Next come the royal guard of honor, high officers of army and navy, brilliant in uniforms glittering with decora- OPENING THE KIKSDAG. 219 tions ; then, with a great blare of trumpets, the music changes, and as the grand, solemn strains of ' ' TJr SvensTia hjertans djup''' — "From the depths of the Swedish heart" — come pealing through the hall, there enters the King, the crown of the kingdom, resplendent with jewels, on his head, the scepter of the realm in his right hand, a long mantle of imperial purjile, dotted with crowns, bordered with ermine, flowing from his shoulders. Two grand cham- berlains bear up the sides of his train, and the end is car- ried by the highest chamberlain in the kingdom. On either side of His Majesty. march the Ministers of State for Sweden and for Norway, and the Minister of Foreign Affairs. With stately tread, the King marches to the center of the hall, slowly bows to each house of the Riksdag, bows to the diplomatic corps, and turning, bows to the Queen; then, marching up steps covered with velvet to a grand raised dais, he takes his seat on the great, white silver throne of Sweden — the three high chamberlains spreading the train of the royal mantle over the top of the throne. Now the grand marshal of the kingdom commands silence with one blow of his tall staff on the floor. All rise and stand erect — all save one. Seated on a throne, wearing a crown, with the scepter of the realm in his right hand, the King reads the speech opening the estates of Sweden — '' Gode Herrar ochSvensTce Man r- — " Good Gentlemen and Swedish Men. ' ' The words sound clear as a bugle-call, and from first word to last he reads the speech like a king, in a full, ringing, bass voice, that resounds through the length and breadth of the great Hall of State. Then the Swedish Minister of State follows with a voluminous report of the acts of government since the last Riksdag. He skims over the report with great discre- tion, however, reading only a few paragraphs here and there, and skipping a dozen pages at a time; so it soon comes to an end. Tlien the speaker of the first chamber steps forward and reads a short address to the King expressive of the 220 SWEDEN AND THE SWEDES. loyalty and affection of the chamber for His Majesty. All the members of this chamber rise and stand throughout the delivery of the address. The speaker of the second chamber follows with a sim- ilar address, the house he represents rising and standing behind him. Each speakei' then receives from the Minister of Finance the royal propositions relative to the condition and needs of the State finances ; and the Riksdag of 1884 is fairly opened. Meeting His Majesty on the ice skating the next day, I complimented him on his grand speech and noble voice, telling him his powers as an orator were so magnificent that if he would only come to America and take the stump — on oui' side, of course — we should be certain to win the next presidential election. This was to take place the fol- lowing autumn. Unfortunately, the engagements of the King were such that he did not come over; and I presume this must be the reason why I was permitted to return to A.merica and write out my notes into this book. CHAPTER XYIII, A R OVA L BALL. S the sun sinks low, and the nights grow long, the glad social life begins to stir itself in the capital of the Northland. The 1st of December is the name's day of King Oscar, and the event is always cele- brated with a dinner given by the Minister of Foreign Affairs. I found this to be quite a formal occasion; no one was invited except members of the diplomatic corps and the Swedish Cabinet, and no lady was present except the hostess, the queenly Baroness Hochschild. When the dinner was half over, our host, Baron Hochschild, the versatile and accomi^lished Minister of Foreign Affairs, rapping to order on his glass and rising in his place, offered in French the toast of "The Sovereigns and Chiefs of States;" and at the end of the next course the dean of the diplomatic corps, the elegant Vicomte De Soto Maior, Minister of Portugal, with hair and whiskers white as the driven snow, arose and proposed "The health of His Majesty, the King of Sweden and Norway. ' ' Botli toasts were drunk standing, and there were no responses. During the month of December there are occasional small dinner parties, and perhaps a i^rivate ball or two. Early in January comes the annual ball of the Order of the Innocence, in the salons of the bourse; and soon after, the brilliant ball of the Amarant, in the grand hall of Hotel Continental. Both are large and elegant parties, and both are honored by the presence of the royal family. The Amarant is the most illustrious of the purelj' social orders of Sweden. It was founded by the pleasure-loving Queen Christina, daughter of Gustavus Adolphus, as long ago as 1653; and the motto on its little golden medal, ^' Ifemoria (320 (222) A ROYAL BALL. 223 Dulcis,'''' might well be stamped on every recollection one brings away with him from the land over which this brill- iant and tickle Queen once reigned. But no Stockholmer ever considers ' ' the season ' ' oj)en as yet. The festivities so far are but like the occasional popping of a musket along the skirmish-line. The 21st of January is the birthday of tlie King; then the Riksdag has convened, everybody that intends to move from his estates into the capital for the winter has arrived, and then the King gives a grand ball at the palace. This is the social event of the winter, a royal cannon-ball, so to speak, and its firing off is the signal for the heavy artilleiy of society to wheel into action; and the battle of the social season begins in earnest. Henceforth until May you will be bombarded with cards of invitation and billet-doux, and met witli smiles, and pats on the shoulder, and the prettiest little speeches; and frequently you will drive from dinner to ball, or from one ball to another, and perchance a third, on a single evening. The invitations to the royal ball were sent out some ten days in advance. As I have not at hand the one sent me in 1884, I will insert a fac-simile of the invitation left at the American legation in 1890. It is substantially the same with the exception of the date, the ball of 1890 having been postponed a month on account of the death of Empress Augusta of Germany. Translated into English, this invitation reads as follows: By H. M. the King's most gracious command, the First Marshal of the Court has the honor to invite the American Minister, W. Tliomas, to a ball at the palace at Stockholm, on Thursday, February 20, 1890, at 8.30 r, M. fir j Not dancing, black court dress, with train. Dress tor ladies; ^ d^^^^.^^^^ vihiie court dress, without train. Dress for gentlemen: Full uniform, Sir Commanders with ribbon outside. All mourning to be laid aside for the day. Carriages drive in through the southern portal to the western. Entrance, western portal, up two flights. Supper at 11.30, one flight down from the ball-room. C^arriages at one o'clock. In case of hindrance this card should be returned. 224 SWEDEN AND THE SWEDES. Is not this a practical, simple, business-like document; No necessity for ladies calling on each other aiid wondering what is the ]oroper thing to wear, and what Mrs. So-and-so and the Misses So-and-so-forth are going to wear, and what on the whole they guess, after consultation with their milli- ner, they will wear. They need take no thought of where- withal they shall be clothed, further than to order the exact dress prescribed in the invitation. And then, again, they must make up their minds whether they are going to dance or not before they put on their gowns; and they can not change their decision afterward, for the non-dancing wear black, while the dancers are robed in white — and this, of course, contributes to a most desirable directness and exactness in the mental iDrocesses of the fair. In case you are absolutely prevented from coming to the ball, you are not i^ut to the trouble of writing your regrets even — all you have to do is to send your invitation back again to the tirst marshal of the court; for it will be noticed that not the King himself, but his first marshal, issues the royal pleasure, "by the King's command." The invitations were for half-jjast eight, but long before that hour Slotts backen, the broad paved hill-side behind the palace, was crowded with lines of carriages. Our coacliman was provided with two great green tickets. On showing these, he was permitted to drive past the sentries at the south gate and across the great square court-yard to the west entrance. An officer in the blue-and-silver uni- form of the life-guards, with a squad of soldiers, was at the portal. Guards lined the great stone staircase. They stood like statues as we i^assed between; their officers saluted; and so we ascended the two flights to the dressing-rooms. Thence, when ready, we passed through the hall of the life- guards and the room beyond, between files of attendants, to the Council Chamber, a spacious salon in the northwest corner of the x)alace. Here we were received by the first marshal of the court. He was receiving for the King, and shook hands with all the guests as they arrived. A KOYAL BALL. 225 Thence, turning at riglit-angies, we walked leisurely through a long suite of magnificent apartments, glittering with thousands of gas-jets, hung with rare tapestry, adorned with paintings and sculpture, and now lilled full with the beauty and fashion and pomp and state of the kingdom. Perhaj)s the most imposing of these halls is the Grand Clal- lery, one hundred and tifty-two feet long, with vaulted ceiling, walls rich with marble and gilding, and massive doors of oak, whose beautiful carvings were wrought nearly two hundred }ears ago. The broad doors between these halls were thrown wide open, but high officers of the court were stationed at every portal. Two thousand people had been invited. I think they all came. Yet, however fair or brave they were, few were permitted to advance farther than the Grand Gallery. Into the apartment beyond, only Ladies of high rank and their escorts were admitted. Still farther on is the White Room. This was reserved for the diplomatic corps, mem- bers of the Swedish and Norwegian cabinets, knights of the royal order of the Seraphim, and three or four other of 15 226 SWEDEN AND THE SWEDES. the highest officers of the realm; these and their ladies, and no one else. There is no guess-work and wondering how it is about social etiquette in Sweden. Everything pertaining to soci- ety is a matter of exact law, unchangeable as the ' ' law of the Medes and Persians." The order of precedence is rigidly observed. I have a book containing the names of nearly one thousand ofBcers, noblemen, and dignitaries of Sweden, catalogued and numbered, showing exactly where they come on all state and festive occasions; and you may easily ascertain from other books the social status of every officer in the kingdom, civil and military. So we strolled on through room after room filled with the flower and chivalry of the Northland in gala attire, stopping to chat with an old friend here and there on the way, and at last arrived at the. farthest apartment of all, the White Room, where most of my colleagues and mem- bers of the Cabinet were already assembled. At exactly half -past nine o' clock, there is a stir and then a hush throughout the long suite of rooms, and soon we see the King, with the Queen on his arm, and followed by the Crown Prince and the Princes Carl and Eugen advancing up the vista of halls. The royal family must have entered the lowest room, and they are now walking straight through all the apartments, at a moderate pace, and bowing to right and left. This is all the greeting the guests in the other rooms receive, a bow as one of fifty or one of a hundred. On one side of our salon are drawn up in a crescent the diplomatic corps, in strict order of precedence, followed by the Swedish and Norwegian ministers and knights of the Seraphim. On the other side, forming another semi-circle, are our ladies. The two crescents are joined at the farther end, and the entire company in the room stand around it in an oval. At the entrance. Their Majesties stop and separate. The King passes down the line of men, shaking hands with each, and entering into conversation with every one for a minute or two. The Queen at the same time is passing A ROYAL BALL. 227 down the crescent of the ladies, speaking and shaking hands with them. At the farther end of the oval, the King and Queen meet and pass by each other. The King keeps on and salutes the ladies, and the Queen extends her hand and speaks a word to the gentlemen. The Crown Prince followed the King; the Princes Carl and Eugen their royal mother. When the King reached me, he thanked me heartily for having hoisted the American flag that day in his honor. The Queen was very gracious. Her Majesty said she was pleased to learn that I was making new acquaintances in Sweden, as well as renewing many pleasant old friendships, and that she was delighted to think I was thriving in the land. I was granted a long conversation by the Crown Prince, and had a very pleasant talk with handsome Prince Carl, clad in his light-blue cavalry uniform with silver ornaments. The King bore the full uniform of General of the Swed- ish army, the same in which he was clad at the audience when he first received me; and across his breast was the broad blue ribbon of the Seraphim. I would not dare to say what the Queen wore. I do not think a man ever makes a success in trying to describe the raiment of the fair; still, I felt sure my lady friends in America would rather know this one thing than everything else about the ball put together, and to gratify them I induced one of the ladies of the Swedish court to write out a description for me, which, translated into English as well as I know how, is as follows: ' ' The Queen wore a crimson silk, with gold flowers and gold points. On her breast she bore the portraits of Oscar II., her husband, and Oscar I. , her husband' s father — each portrait a medallion encased in diamonds. She wore the royal orders of Portugal, Russia, Roumania, Spain, and Turkey. On her head rested a diadem of gold, set with emeralds and diamonds, and a red plume. On her neck was a superb necklace of colossal diamonds and emeralds." So far my fair friend, and I think even a gentleman and a 1. THE FIRST MARSHAL OF THE COURT RECEIVING GUESTS. 2. THE KING AND QUEEN ADVANCING UP THE GRAND GALLERY, 3. IN THE " WHITE SEA." 4. THE QUEEN'S RUNNER. f2a8) A ROYAL BALL. 229 bachelor, could not have failed to notice how artistically the folds of the Queen' s dress fell downward into a mag- nificent train that maintained its even, thick width where- ever she moved. The moment the royal family had spoken to everyone in the room, the doors at the farther end opened out- ward as if of themselves, and superb orchestral music came floating in through the wide portal to meet us. King and Queen leading, princes, diplomats, and Cabinet minis- ters following, we entered the ' ' White Sea, ' ' the great ball- room of the palace, glittering with white marble columns. After us came as many of the guests as could surge into the hall. This magnificent room, although one hundred and thirty-five feet long by one hundred and fourteen broad, was soon packed full ; yet I doubt if half the guests got in for over an hour. Midway the hall, on the left side as we entered, was erected the royal estrade, a raised jolatform, perhaps thirty feet long. It was decorated with a drapery of blue velvet, dotted with small golden crowns and bordered with ermine. In the center of the dra^oery the royal croAvn and the arms of Sweden blazed with brilliant colors. On either side stood majestic palm-trees. The King and Queen took their seats on the estrade, siir- rounded by maids of honor and royal chamberlains. After the first dance, the Queen mingled for awhile with the ladies, and the King moved about and chatted at ease with the gentlemen; then Her Majesty, who was far from well, withdrew, and was not seen again. As soon as the Queen left the hall, the grand orchestra struck up the music for the second dance. All the evening refreshments were served in the vesti- bule between the farther end of the Wliite Sea and the apartments of the Crown Prince. This spacious passage- way was turned into a buffet for the nonce. It was filled with every tropical growth, and cooled by the spray of fount- ains. Resting in those green bowers, and listening to the pleasant chit-chat of your partner, it was hard to believe 230 SWEDEN AND THE SWEDES. that outdoors was snow and January, and that you your- self were in the latitude of "Greenland's icy mount- ains." Just before the third waltz, the King and Court passed through the general refreshment rooms, went down a flight of stairs, and partook of a bountiful supper in the apart- ments of the Queen. The other guests supped in different rooms, according to their rank. Dui'ing supper the King called me to him, and pouring THE RED SALON. out two glasses, said in good English, "Come, here's your good health ! " and then added, " Do not think of me as a King only. I am not only a King, I am also a man — a man with a heart, ' ' tapping his left breast ; ' ' and know you, that you are always welcome at my house." Was there ever a monarch more kind or more courteous! I deeply appreciated his kindness and the friendly and sincere feelings that prompted his polite speech; and yet I could not help being a little amused at the good King' s modesty in calling the colossal palace his "house." Really, it is quite a comfortable tenement. A ROYAL BALL. 231 During the banquet, the Crown Prince rapped upon the table. Instantly all eyes were turned toward him, and he said in Swedish : " I have the honor to propose the health of His Majesty, the King." The toast was drunk with four royal cheers. Then the King shook hands with the Prince, thanked him, smiled, and seemed as heartily pleased as ever father was with son. After the banquet, the multitude in the White Sea grew less, and there was room for dancing with comfort. In ex- ecuting the square dances, the Swedes usually form but one or two sets in the hall, no matter how large the hall is. There may be one hundred couples dancing, but they fre- quently all form in one huge quadrangle extending round the hall. I presume there were very nearly a hundred couples that composed a colossal set for the Francjaise in this grand ball- room. The ladies all wore court dresses of white, and glistened with jewels. The gentlemen were all in uniform heavily embroidei'ed with gold lace, and sparkled with dec- orations. And when the long line of brilliant cavaliers, extending from top to bottom of the White Sea, advanced to meet the opposite line of white-robed beauty floating toward them, the scene down the long vista of the royal ball-room formed the most beautiful pageant I ever looked upon. (838) CHAPTER XIX, to THE AWAKENING OF SPRING. USED to wonder wliat was the first sign of spring in the Northland. It was not the arrival of the steamer Will- iam, of Gothenburg, with rye from Libau, for the mail ^ steamer Express had been making her weekly trips all winter, breaking a channel in the ice and criinching her way to Hango, in Finland, where passengers took the train for St. Petersburg. It was not the gulls flying over North Stream, for the sti'eam had been open and the very same gulls had been flying over it all winter. I am sure of this, for I made the personal acquaintance of several of them — one with a feather lost out of his wing, and another pecul- iarly gray old fellow with a fierce beak and an angry eye. On the whole, I think the first sign of spring, in the year of grace 1884, was the lone fisherman, who dipped a scoop- net from his little boat and then piled it upward through the water, using the stern of the boat as a fulcrum for the very long lever of a handle. This is the proper way to fish for smelts in the Norrstrom. I used to watch the three points of his scoop come out of water, like the sharp talons of a bird's foot, and the whole net follow dripping] y into air, but never a smelt saw I. However, the fisherman, if not satisfied, was hopeful, as all fishermen must perforce be, for he kept on scooi:)ing, and he caught my gratitude, if nothing else, for the mere act of fishing in open running water, whether you catch anything or not, is a spring and summer like occupation; and this was February 13th. The little steamers, that puffed about so briskly last sum- mer with gay flags flying, were yet lying quietly moored along the granite quay, just where they Avere made fast in the late autumn. I liked to read their names as I walked (233; 234 SWEDEN AND THE SWEDES. by — Ostana, Wermdo, Ljustero, Tend, Blidd, Stafsnds, JVorrtelJe, Dalaro Strom. Every name brought back a pleasant memory of summer seas, and islands, and groves. But in a few days, there was a sound of hammering and clanking on board these little iron boats, and they, as well as the larger steamers opposite, under the walls of the Ui)JBr^lll^^^|I IJ.IJA]jlllBl(^tlM y^s^w THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. From the North Bridge, Stockholm palace, broke out all over their gray sides with red blotches of new paint. And now who could doubt that spring was coming ? About this time, the ice began to break up in the Malar Lake, and the white ice- cakes came sailing down-stream from under the arches of Norrbro. This was what the gulls had been looking for, and a heigh-ho time they had of it. They lit on every cake, as it swirled out from under the bridge, and had a jolly sail down-stream. By the time these ice-rafts had reached Grand Hotel, or in any event National Museum, their passengers had snapped up every choice bit of refuse THE AWAKENING OF SPRING. 235 from their surface and, stretching their long wings with a hoarse croak of delight, iiew up-river to pounce upon fresh cakes and pastures new and slide down-stream again. And so they kept it up all day, like a lot of school-boys sliding down-hill, only there was this advantage on the side of the gulls — they did not have to haul their sleds up-hill after every slide. There was always a new ice-cake sailing down to meet them, and it brought them their dinner, too, as well as a slide. Sometimes there would be a gull-fight on one of the ice- cakes over an extra choice bit of carrion. Then all the gulls sailing on the stream would look on to see that the combat- ants properly raised their wings, hopped toward each other and yelled, and struck out with their beaks accoi'ding to the rules of the ring, till at last the best gull, the Mo-gul, so to speak, won, and flew up-stream with the prize in his beak, when, with a fierce croak of satisfaction, all the other gulls flew after him, only to sail down again. On February 26th there came steaming up the bay a long, black, English tramp, the Ingram, of London, laden with two thousand two hundred tons of Indian corn direct from Newport News, Virginia. I looked on the golden kernels as they rolled out of the sooty ship. Surely they brought to me summer greetings from my native land. On the last day of winter, I plucked up courage enough to essay a spring outing; and at ten in the morning sailed away in the little steamer William Lindherg. The south wind blew freshly and the sun glanced at us between the drifting clouds. The snow was all gone from the shores of the Djurgard, but it still streaked and marbled the dark hills of the shaded southern shore, and here and there on the steep clifE-side the ice hung down in mimic glaciers. At a little island where we laid to, a rooster crowed — a spring clarion — and the same sun that had thawed out his throat shone warm on my cheek. A field of ice blocked up Kyrkoviken; we touched at far Lidingo, then crossed to Wermdo, and soon after were grinding along through a channel cut in the ice and filled with ice-cakes. There 236 SWEDEN AND THE SWEDES. was one advantage, however, in having a solid floor on either hand — we landed and took on board passengers and goods all along the edge without ever going out of our course. And so, after shoving through two miles of ice, we came to Waxholm. The sun shone bright and cold on the gray, round rock walls of the fortress opposite, and Waxholm itself was very much as I had left it the autumn before, save that on the most commanding height of the island the Government FORTRESS OF WAXHOLM. was building a long timber house to accommodate four hundred of the National reserves during their summer drills. There was not time for "doing" Waxholm thoroughly, which perhaps was quite as well at this season of the year, and at half-past twelve we steamed back to the city. A dwarf with a big head, crooked dachshund legs, and a black skin jacket, does the polite thing by doffing his fur cap in reiJeated bows to the steamboat generally as we start off. In the struggle for life, only the shapeliest are left in the hottest of the fight in the cities. Dwarfs, fools, idiots, THE AWAKENING OF SPRING. 287 and cripples slide away into the country and turn up at cross-roads and small villages. You are more apt to light on them at Waxholm than at Stockholm. Since writing the above, I have had all the pride of enun- ciating a great rule of humanity knocked out of me, by thinking of Italy and the cripples and dwarfs wlio beg round the churches of Naples and Rome. I think I must limit the application of my rule to Scandinavia or countries where begging is not a profession, and then it is not much HASSELBACKEN. of a rule after all. But Avherever these poor unfortunates are, they like to come out and bask in the sun. I think I would rather risk my reputation on this latter proposition — and the fact that the dwarf was out, was still another sign of spring, and placed me under great obligation to the crooked-legged little chap. Late in February, the branches of the willow-trees were dotted white with bursting catkins. One pussy-willow, in the King's Park, I could see from my windows, seemed to be holding aloft wands studded with jjearls. On March 1st, the peasant girls on the bridge to Ship 238 SWEDEN AND THE SWEDES. Island were selling bunclies of wild-flower buds — the Anem- one hepatica — called by the Swedes "Blasippa." Surely, with her wild flowers, spring herself at last had come, and the great white death of winter, with its fears and phantoms, its dark, and cold, and gloom, was rolled away. On March 15th, Hassel- backen opened, and great crowds poured out to this notable summer restaurant and outdoor cafe in the deer park. There is no place in the world where a Swede would rather eat and drink, and be merry, and listen to music, than sitting under the shade of giant oaks and look- ing out upon the bay at his dear Hasselbacken, a classic spot since the days of Bell- man. And the Swede is quite right. March 16th the thermom- eter stood at 42° Fahrenheit in the shade, and in the sun, in front of Hotel Rydberg, it went up to 77°. Old gentle- men were sunning themselves STATUE OF BELLMAN AT HASSELBACKEN. on the green benches in the King's Park; children with toy spades and rakes were play- ing in the dry gravel; ladies passed by with parasols spread over their heads, and a brindled cur lay stretched on the stone flagging asleep in the warm spring sunshine; and this was 60° North latitude. Four days later I took a walk in the deer park. All snow and ice had disappeared from the city; small patches in the shade of the woods, or packed into some ravine, THE AWAKENING OF SPRING. 239 alone remained in the country round about. My spring overcoat was so warm that I unbuttoned it and threw it open. Now the birds had come back from the south, and the woods rang with their melody. I counted six different strains of song, and presume there must have been six spe- cies of birds. I saw but few, however. The song-birds of Sweden are small and dull-colored, and you may stand for minutes under a tree ringing with carols and not be able to discern a bird. There is no golden oriole here; but, dull though their jackets were, their songs were sweet and loud; sweet and loud enough, I was sure, fully to awaken the slumbering goddess of spring. (840) CHAPTER XX, A WALK IN THE DJURGARD. I OME ! what' s the use sitting here in the house on this bright 28tli day of March, witli the sun of spring- shining so gloriously outdoors? The clock in the ~ii* V tower of St. Jacob's church over the park is at quarter to eleven, and we've just dispatched all the business of the morning. Hurry up, and let's have a good, long outing. How the sun floods, with light and heat, the broad stone quay, and tips with gold the rij)pling waters of Norrstrom! How busily they are at work upon the little steamers along the quay, scraping, and painting, and hammering! And there is a staderska with a kerchief over her head, beating the red plush cushions on the after-deck. Jump into this little steam- launch with me — pufl:, pufl:, puff we sail across the harbor from Blasieholmen to Staden, the great square palace rising to front and right, and Gustaf III., Apollo-like, standing in statue of gustaf m. bronze where we land. How neatly we make the landing, too; the bow would scarce have broken an egg as it touched the pier; fare, three ore (three-quarters of a cent). We are not impoverished. Along the granite quay of Staden, past big North Sea and Russian steamers, and we hop into another launch, just as the bell jingles, and she is backing off. 16 (341) 242 SWEDEN AND THE SWEDES. How swiftly we cut through the blue water, Sodermalm to light, Skeppsliolineii and Kastellholmen to left, and God's free air striking our foreheads as we stand in the bow of the little green steamer. Now we land at Beckholmen; fare, eight ore (two cents), but we can stand it. Here are two long dry-docks, blasted out of the solid rock, and fitted with iron gates; a steamer lies in one, two in the other, and there is hammering and clanking, and the smell of paint and tar. Across the little isle— over a narrow, arching bridge — and we come into the Djurgard, Stockholm's magnificent park, a wooded island, two miles long and three-quarters of a mile wide. It is a noble forest that covers it, gigantic oaks, towering pines, and dense groves of spruce, inter- spersed with smiling bits of meadow, and intersected every- where with winding roads and pretty paths. Along the broad avenue come galloping a merry party of Stockholm's noblesse, stylish ladies in hats and riding- habits, and officers of the guards in their bright-blue uni- forms. They are riding well-groomed, mettlesome, English hunters. The ladies bow and smile as you raise your hat, and the officers touch their caps with military precision. For a moment you hear the I'attling of swords and spurs, then the brilliant cavalcade has swept by and disappeared rrnder the tree-branches over the hill. Now the open carriage of one of Stockholm's richest merchants rolls along; two portly horses draw it at the slow, fashionable trot, two portly dames, holding black parasols, sit within, and a portlj' coachman and footman sit on the box; cockades bristle from their black hats, and silver buttons glitter in rows down their light coats; they sit painful] j^ erect — footman with folded arms, coachman with whip held at the prescribed angle — and we may feel sure that everything about "the establishment" is "the proper thing" for a morning's airing. Rattling over the road, at a spanking gait, there dashes by a well-matched four-in-hand. The young lady in the open landau, that bows like a queen or a goddess, is the A WALK IN THE DJUKOaRD. 243 lovely Countess Stephanie von Platen, the reigning belle of the Swedish capital. You have just time to notice that the rosettes on the horses' heads are the same brilliant color as the Countess' dress, and she is out of sight. Atop the bald granite cliff on our right three boys are sitting in the sun, their heads close together conning a pic- torial paper. The gravel of our path as we stroll on is moist, soft, and elastic, just the right consistency for the boys to AN AVENUE IN THE DJURGARD NEAR BELLMAN'S REST. make holes in for playing marbles. Up Hits a dark-biown, yellow-spotted butterfly from the damp earth at our feet. He drifts about in the air like an animated tiger-lily. What an irregular, oscillating flight; no object in life— a loafer he; but a beauty for all that, and a herald of spring and immortality. Now rest in this sunny glade 'neath these grand old trees. How the waxy buds are bursting overhead; how pitchy, shiny, sticky, and varnished are these; how downy, pussy-cat-like those over there hanging from willow and alder ! What a sweet song that invisible bird is caroling 244 SWEDEN AND THE SWEDES. somewhere high up among the branches overhead! From across the f jard comes the clatter of hammers pounding on the stalwart sides of iron ships at Finnboda slip. Ah, they are beating time to the song of our bird! Through tree-branches sparkles the bright water; over tree-tops smiles the blue sky. What immense oaks — great, rugged, sturdy fellows fifteen feet in circumference! You go up and pat them as you would a big dog. What beautiful, bright -yellow patches on the west side of their trunks, as if one had dusted them with yellow ochre. How the great Swedish hanging-spruces ' ' stand clothed in living green ! " Their lofty rows of branches— one above the other — project like multitudinous pointing arms hung with green drapery, even as the mantle hangs from the outstretched arm of the Apollo of the Vatican. What are those objects flitting aboiit from light to shade in the forest depths ? Oh, ho ! they are two peasant women with red-bordered kerchiefs on their heads, and aprons looped up, with some woodland treasures inside. They carry trowel-shaped knives in their hands, and walk bent over and scanning the ground closely. Now they are grubbing in the earth. "What have you got there?" you ask, as they ap- proach. "Bla sippor," they reply, opening their aprons and dis- playing a great mass of anemone buds. ' ' We force them to bloom at home, and then we sell the flowers on the bridge. ' ' As we come out of the woods, the fresh breeze fans our cheeks. Warm is the sun, but cool the air, as if blown over ice-fields. We walk out upon Blockhusudden — the farther cape of the Djurgard, two miles from where we landed — a deserted old customs station, with its quaint Dutch-shaped house. From the little landing, we get a fine view over the fjard to the lofty mainland opposite, covered with ever- green woods and crowned with turreted villas; while between, pufE the steamers and silently skim the crack Roslags sloops, carrying gravel and brick to the city. A WALK IN THE DJURGAED. 245 Round the point is a fisher's cot; his nets are hung over poles, as over a clothes-line, to dry. Little rolls of birch- bark, attached to the upjser side of the net, about five feet apart, are the buoys which hold the net up to the surface of the water; but rolls of birch-bark also form the sinkers along the lower edge of the net. What can this mean ? Surely, birch-bark can not both sink and float! We take THE PALACE OF ROSENDAL. hold of a lower roll of bark. How heavy! Ah, ha! a stone is rolled up inside. Capital ! Floats and sinkers cost this fisherman, in a birch country, nothing at all, only his time, and that's not worth much here, and he has plenty of it. The net was light, and very shoal, only a fathom deep. An American seine would need something more than birch- bark to float it. Now we turn back into the woods again. What! Yes, a robin-redbreast, but not our robin, not more than half as large; but a deeper red burns on his breast. His back is gray, and he has a white chevron on his wing, like a ser- 246 SWEDEN AND THE SWEDES. geant. He is the bullfinch — Fringilla ccelehs — prized throughout all Eurojoe for his melodious song, and one of the most welcome harbingers of spring here in the North- land. But sweet as is his singing, how willingly would I swap him for a home robin, with only his early spring "squawk" in his throat. We return by winding roads on the farther shore of the park, along Djurgardsbrunnsviken, and i^ast the pretty little palace of Rosendal, where the Queen likes to spend the early summer, with its pleasant garden, on the highest knoll of which stands the great red porphyry vase, nearly twelve feet in diameter. We leave the park and cross a bridge to Ostermalm, thence we walk home along the broad Strandvagen, with palatial residences on the one hand and the broad bay on the other; but has it not been a pleasant promenade % r-^TiHslSi^^te; CHAPTER XXI. A HIT MB Ua. ^HIS Swedish spring is a linnibug after all. On Feb- ruary 28tli, 1 cut branches of the pussy-willow on Skeiipsholmen, already bursting out with white cat- kins. To-day, Aioril 26th, 1 passed the same tree, eiglit weeks have elapsed meanwhile, but there are the pussy-tails hanging still, larger and longer to be sure, but the same old pussies, and not a leaf-bud has come out yet. April 10th I noticed a greening of the lawns. It has scarcely advanced a, tinge since. For the last two weeks, there has been a northeast wind blowing all the time. We talk of our disagreeable east winds in New England. They are zephyrs "of Araby the blest" compared with a Stockholm northeaster. It comes sweeping across the Gulf of Bothnia, fresh from Finland and the Arctic Ocean, chilling, all-pervading, cutting to the joints and marrow. Not a bit of moisture in it, no soft fog or mist; but dry, keen, hard, and sharp it blows, and blows continually. The throat is ruffed up as by a flame, you are chilled through and through, everybody "hath redness of eyes," and weepeth piteous tears. There is no lea, no com- fort, no warmth anywhere outdoors. For two weeks it has frozen every night, it scarcely melts by day, and the dry, cold, gritty dust is blown about every- where with an especial iDredilection for mouth and nostrils. Everybody says if we could only get a good rain, spring- would set in. It has clouded up now, so let us pray for rain. To have it colder than it was two months ago is enough to discourage a saint, and to prove, beyond a doubt, that spring in Stockholm is an arrant humbug. So much for April. 248 SWEDEN AND THE SWEDES. In the middle and latter part of May came copious sliowers, the southwest wind gently blew, tiny leaves burst forth on all the trees, the days grew long and deliciously warm and fair, and all nature sprung forward with a bound — not into spring — but into the full, bright, glorious summer of the Northland. \,k^ CHAPTER XXII. 'BY THE WILD BALTIC'S STRAND." ^UT through the open window the water ripples in the p|4l| sun — ripples in little cat's-paws that touch the strand not twenty feet away. The strip between is a garden — grass and a few apple-trees. A stone' s- throw beyond, over the water, are the smooth rock hum- mocks that form the farther shore of the cove. Half a dozen row-boats lie afloat on the sparkling water. Rude, rough-hewn fishing-boats, dark red or brown inside and out, with thick coats of pitch. They are all moored to three little piers that project from as many small fish- houses perched on the smooth, shelving, rock strand. Farther down the cove the low, level, rock bluff is cov- ered with dark-brown nets of the fishermen, drying in the sun and wind of spring. North, south, and west, as far as the eye can reach — that is, if we run outdoors and up a round granite hummock thirty feet high — is a sea filled with innumerable masses of granite, rounded, smoothed off, polished, of all sizes, from a large island to a little round disk half as big as your boat, just showing its rounded shoulder out of water — a smooth, pallid shoulder over which the waves gather and part lov- ingly. This to the north, south, and west; but to the eastward, only a few low skerries near at hand, and then the broad blue expanse of the Baltic stretching away to the horizon, with no land beyond till you reach the shores of Russia. To the west, if we were to sail forty miles through a labyrinth of islands, increasing in height and growing more and more wooded as we advanced, and adorned with ever prettier villas, we should arrive at Stockholm. C249) 250 SWEDEN AND THE SWEDES. And this sea of unnnmbered rock islands is called by tlie Swedes the "skargard," literally, "rock-yard;" and a noble rock-yard it is, too, big enough to have been the play- ground of the Frost Giants. Perhaps it was these colossi of the North who pitched all these rocks in here. From Stockholm, for twenty or thirty miles as you sail to seaward, all the islands are heavily and beautifully wooded with dark spruce and pine, and spreading oak and birch; beyond, trees and soil become sparse and thin, the naked cliffs appear more frequently, and when we reach the low outer belt of islands we find ourselves in an archipel- ago of ledges and skerries, swept by wind and wave and storm, bare, rounded, gray masses of granite everywhere, with not a tree or bvish or bit of greensward to be seen from the deck of the yacht as you sail by; though on some of the larger skerries you may see the white chimneys and part of the red-tiled roof of a fisher' s cot peering above the gray rock masses, or, perchance, a solitary cow regards you from atop the bluff, and you are foi'ced to believe that somehow this wilderness of granite and water is made to sustain life. We are upon one of the larger of these ledges that fringe the Baltic and form the outer bulwark of the Swed- ish coast. The surface of the island is as uneven as boiling water. It is not rocks, it is all one single vast rock of granite boiled up in interminable undulations; but it is not rough. Every undulation is so rounded and smoothed that it would be fun to run all over the island with bare feet — not a crag, nor a splintered peak, nor a cliff, nor an edge. Thousands of years the glaciers were at work grinding off and fashioning these bluffs, and for thousands of years since the sea has been polishing them as they gradually rose out of water, till now they are as fair and round as the fat cheeks of laughing fisher-maidens. This skerry is a mile long and half a mile wide. In the deeper hollows a little soil has gathered. Here some grass grows; and a few scrubby trees have taken root, though they are very careful never to lift their heads above the BY THE WILD BALTIC'S STRAND.' 251 surrounding bluflfs. In a larger hollow at the head of the cove are clustered five little houses. Here live five families, all relatives. They live by hunting and fishing — the occu- pations man was created for, or at least those he first got his living by; and I think it might be difficult to prove that man is any happier or has had any better luck since he gave up his original business, and struck out into other trades and new-fangled notions. FISHER'S COTTAGE IN THE STOCKHOLM SKARGARD. (From a Painting by J. P. Sodernnark.) Mine host, Johan Sjoblom, is evidently king of the isles. His house is larger than the others, and sits a little apart from them close down to the cove. Then he once held an official position, was a royal branch-pilot, though he resigned that long ago, and came to this rugged rock of Langvikskiir, built a house to his fancy, and settled down to enjoy a green old age with the pleasant-faced wife he had married here, and who was born on the island. The other four houses of the group are huddled together a little farther up the rock hollow. I think they must be 252 SWEDEN AND THE SWEDES. twenty steps away; and sometimes when Sjoblom gets lonely in his distant grandeur, he says : "Now, well, I think I' 11 run up to the village and see how they are getting on up there." And the manner as well as speech of the good man as he puts on hat, coat, and mittens, and sets out on his journey of twenty paces plainly shows that he holds himself above and aloof from the busy turmoil and distracting care of crowded metropolitan life upon the island. One would scarce expect such comfortable quarters on this sea-girt rock. The house is one story and a liberal half. Down-stairs, I have two rooms; the sitting-room is twelve by fifteen feet, and contains a lounge, two tables, bureau, a side-table, and six wooden chairs. The three windows have a narrow gilded cornice, from which hang lace cur- tains parted in the middle and held open by white lace loops. There are also blue roll curtains with white figures. One of the windows is filled with potted plants on a stand. Among them are a cactus, a geranium, and an oleander that has grown up to the ceiling. An American clock, in a black-walnut case, ticks over the bureau, and the floor is loosely covered with strips of homespun and home-woven carpet. Opening out of this parlor is my snug little bedroom. There are twelve cows on the island. What they ate I could not imagine till just now, when I saw Franz Oman's father and mother rowing into the cove with what looked to be three great brown bed-ticks rising up like a carry-all top in the stern of their boat. Running down to the little pier, I found the great bags were full of gray moss these poor people had pulled on a neighboring rock, and learned that on this moss the cows are in large part fed. Sweet milk and good thick cream we have all the same. We possess also one dog — little, black, shaggy "Pera," with her cut-off, stubby, upright plume of a tail always in motion; and a sufficient number of cats to give "Pera" amusement and occupation. Here is no mail, no post-office, no telegraph, no news- paper, no telephone, no railroad, and not even a steamboat "by the wild Baltic's strand." 253 landing — the nearest is now twelve miles away, and here am I, a sort of Swedish Robinson CriTsoe, and a happy one. And what am I here for ? Well, any sportsman could guess. He would know, as I did, that in the spring the wild ducks and geese must fly north along the Swedish isles, as they do along the coast of New England; but where is the best spot to strike the flight ? That is what I wished to find out, and I owe a debt of gratitude to my good friend, Harbor Captain Fingal von Sydow, for telling me. And he not only told me, but he took me on board his little steam-yacht, LdrJcan, one noon early in April, and in company with other friends, and his three sons, Georg, Bjorn, and Frithiof — fine lads they are, too — we steamed away for the outer skargard, and in the lingering, ruddy twilight crept into the snug harbor of Langvikskar. We had a crack at the ducks on two mornings, and sailed back to Stockholm with seventy-two eider hanging like a fringe along the rail of The Lark. The quiet life on the lone island, among the simple fisher-folk, quite won my heart; and the eider-shooting on the outer rocks, in the early spring mornings, as the sun rose over the Baltic, had a zest about it that the salon knows not of. So I concluded to spend a week in the skargard, and study a new phase of Swedish-folk life. At noon on April 16th, by the politeness of the Russian vice-consul, Fredrik Moller, I was taken on board the steamer Express, just starting for Finland, and at four in the afternoon was dropped ofE with the pilot at Sandhamn, an island pilot-station. I had telegraphed from Stockholm for a boat with four oars to take me farther. The boat and oarsmen were ready; but it blew half a gale from the north, and every- body said it woiald be dangerous to start out. While I was thinking what I should do, Captain Rosenberg, the chief of the pilots, a tall, kindly man, stepped forward and invited me to stay with him till the gale abated; so, with many thanks, I followed the captain into the cozy little Government building, with the light-house tower rising 254 , SWEDEN AND THE SWEDES. from its roof, and was heartily welcomed by his chubby little wife. All night the storm burst in gusts against the house and shook the turret overhead. In the morning a wild gale swept the whole coast. The dashing spray froze on rock and pier, and boat and net, wherever it struck. The ther- mometer had gone down to 12° below the freezing point, Fahrenheit. At seven o'clock my oarsmen reported. "We can start," they said; "but we'll be ice-blocks when we arrive." " We won't start, then." Outdoors it was cruelly cold. Clothes seemed no pro- tection against this terrilic, searching, northern blast. Oh, that fickle jade, a Northerii spring, that enticed us outdoors with birds and flowers early in March, and in mid-Ax)ril lashes us with a freezing gale like this! One attempt to breast the storm out-of-doors was enough. I hurried l)ack to the hospitable shelter of the pilot's house, and passed the day alongside an ojien fire reading Nordenskiold' s ' 'Arctic Experiences ' ' and watching the spray dash and freeze high up on the shelving sides of the clifl^. The big black hulk of an English collier still rode at anchor in the narrow strait, and there was a bit of selfish satisfaction in the thought that she was wind-bound as well as I. At night the gale died away, and a stillness and hush as of death brooded over the island. At dawn there was a little air from west-southwest, the mercury had risen to 8° beloAv freezing, and at seven my four rowers pulled me out of the harbor and headed south through the rocky islands. The sky was wonderfully clear, air cold, and sim bright. The spray froze on the shady side of the boat. Soon the wind piped up and hauled ahead, but merrily on we rowed. Half-way down we passed Bullero, with its two houses and lone tree at the head of the cove, the only inhabited rock on the route. Here the oarsmen rested a moment in the lea of a skerry, then on again with their swinging. ■BY THE WILD BALTIC'S STRAND.' 255 vigorous stroke, threading tlie rocky labyriutli. At ten o'clock we saw tlie cliimneys of Langvikslifir looking like white beacons over the gray rock, and in a quarter of an hour more we shot into the still waters of tlie cove, with the whole insular population rushing down to the pier to greet us. Our boat was a broad, lumbering lap-streak, with high bow and stern, and yet these four stalwart pilots had rowed the twelve miles, against the wind, in three hours and a quartei'. SANDHAWIN. (From a Painting by Albert Berg.) After an hour on shore and general intei'change of news with tJie islanders, and a cup of coffee with me, thej^ pulled away for home, and left the "long-cove skerry,'" its hos- pitable inhabitants, and their one foreign guest alone with the rocks and the sea. This was day before yesterday. To-day, I commenced very early, for at one o'clock ou this blessed morn of April 20th, Fru Sjciblom came softly into the room, candle in hand, and waked me. What would I not have given could it have been vouchsafed to me to turn over in bed and go to sleep again. But the duck-shooter must, perforce, 256 SWEDEN AND THE SWEDES. be an early riser, and in this high latitude in spring-time, early means distressingly near midnight. In half an hour, I was dressed and equipped, and the motherly Pru returned with a smoking cup of coffee. At two o'clock 1 groped my way in the darkness over the undulating rock down to the little pier of two planks, where Franz and his little old man were waiting for me in their boat. We pulled out upon the black water. How still everything was! The splash of the oars sounded like steam- boat wheels. The stars shone brightly as on a frosty winter' s night. To seaward we pulled. In half an hour, a faint gray light began to streak the northeastern horizon, then an indistinct gray shape flitted close by our heads in the gloom, and we heard the hoarse cry of the sea- gull. At three o' clock we reached Tarnskar, an outermost rock, smooth and narrow, but nearly a mile long. Just off the farther point, the men set the vettar in the uncertain twilight. These vettar or decoys are veritable stuffed eider-ducks, each floating on a little disk of wood, as thin as a shingle. They are anchored in pairs, the duck always about four feet in advance of the drake. Eight pairs were moored in the water from twenty to thirty yards from the rock. Then the men built a "skare," or shelter for us to lie in on the point. They set up a frame of poles two or three feet high; this they covered with old bleached-out strips of homespun carpet, and over this cast sea- weed and odd bits of drift- wood, so that our skare, when completed, had a surprisingly innocent and come-by-chance appearance. The gray dawn has been waxing to red meanwhile, and with the growing light come the eider. What a swift rush of wings, whiz! whiz! how they dart by, first single birds and pairs, then flocks of tens and twenties; and soon, as the red dawn glows in one fierce point into sunrise, and the great giver of light and heat rises over the Baltic wave, great squadrons, a hundred strong, come sweeping through the sky. " Heaven's light-horse in column of attack against the Pole." "by the wild Baltic's strand." 257 You see tliem lirst on the far-distant horizon, a faint black line, like an indistinct lead-i^encil mark across a sheet of paper; in a moment, the line breaks into dots, like a string of black beads; a moment more, as on they come, you see a pair of keenly vibrating wings attached to each bead, and now a Hock of a hundred eider have shot by at a speed of a mile a minute. Thousands fly past in the hour of sunrise. Yet not all go by. N"ow and again our decoys attract a single bird, or a pair, or perhaps the nearest edge of a flock swing within shot. Bang! bang! down they tumble, two or three, and Franz darts out in the boat from a sheltered cove to pick up the dead. At eight o'clock we tore down our skare, picked up our vettar, and rowed home with thirteen great fat eider-ducks weighing five pounds apiece in the bows, and four old squaws, the brothers and sisters of those that fly along the coast of the United States. Pretty good, wasn' t it ? So Franz thought when I gave him half the birds, and so thought mine host and his good Fru when I gave them the remainder. For every bird is a God-send to these poor people. After breakfast Franz cleaned out my gun, a double breech-loading ten-pound ten-bore, and I lay down on the lounge in my little parlor for a nap; but I didn't feel sleepy after all. The ducks were flying and whizzing through my brain too fast for that; so I got up, and as I did not care about "going down-town," have written these lines on my Northern paradise. The loud-ticking clock behind me has just struck twelve, and, looking out the window, I see Franz in the cove getting the boat ready; for at one o'clock we shall sally forth again to try our luck on the afternoon flight. Our vettar have been drying in the sun all the forenoon, sitting on the fish-house roof. Franz is taking them down now and placing them two by two in the center of the boat, with every pair he winds up four or five fathoms of cod- line around the stone that anchors them. And this reminds me that the stuffed birds are not the only decoys we have. 17 258 SWEDEN AND THE SWEDES. Both Franz and his father carry good lures in their throats. The moment an eider appears on the horizon, they duck their heads under the blind and crouching low commence calling in a loud voice breaking from bass into falsetto, and back to bass again. o-o A-h- ' • A-h A-h- A-h A-h A-h A-h- A-h A-h- A-h ugh ugh This is the call of the drake. My men sing it a thousand times of a morning, and all the time they intersperse it with the call of the duck — a harsh quacking made low down in the throat and delivered staccato, on the same low note. " Kuk — kuk — kuk, Kuk — kuk — kuk — kuk — kuk, Kuk — kuk — kuk." "by the wild Baltic's stkanu." 259 A large tiock of eider will not- pay much attention to these calls, or the decoys either. They have company enough among themselves, and they keep on due north as unswervingly as an express train on an air-line road, bound for the happy breeding-grounds and all the fun of bringing up a family of ducklings in Arctic summer life. But a single bird frequently answers the call, changes his flight, and swings within gunshot. I became convinced that this call, like the " prayer of a righteous man availeth much," and lifting \\y> my voice cried aloud with my men. Franz instantly laid a warning hand on my shoulder, how- ever, and hushed me; so for the present I am only per- mitted to practice when there are no birds in sight. The fact is, I begin to think that Franz is too particular about calling ducks. This morning our skare was so small that only two could get into it, so Franz perched the old man in a crevice farther up the rock. The wind whistled through, and the old gentleman nearly froze to death, as I discovered later on, when he crept into the blind to warm up while his son was oft' picking up the birds. I expostulated with Franz upon his unfilial conduct in freezing his father, and suggested as the ancient fisherman was rather weak, and did not seem to pull more than his own weight in the boat, we should leave him at home here- after. "Oh, no! " exclaimed Franz, with great decision. "We must have him to call to the ducks." "Nonsense," I replied; "you can call loud enough yourself, so that all the ducks in the skargard can hear you." "Yes, perhaps; but we must have my father, for all that," explained Franz. " You see he has a much better dialect.'^ Franz' face betrayed never a smile. I wonder if he thought his sire really talked to the birds in their own tongue ? I made some shots this morning that pleased me. An eider-drake, flying sky-high directly over me, dropped his 260 SWEDEN" AND THE SWEDES. head as I fired and tumbled over stone-dead, killed in mid- air. Suddenly, while lying musing in the blind, with thoughts thousands of miles away, I hear a rushing of wings. Si^ringing up, I see a hock darting over me from behind. On the instant I fire right and left, and three great eider come tumbling down through the red air of morning. Four old squaws come skimming over the water at railroad speed, sixty yards away. I shoot ten feet ahead of them. Well guessed. They fly into the shot; three roll over dead and bounce along the water like stones skipi^ed by a boy, while I set the fourth skipping along with them with my left baiTel. "5vU . CHAPTER XXllI. THE GREAT EKA. j/^^'N April 21st, when we rowed back from our morn- (|i p|'l ing" s shooting, we found a great commotion stirring ^ujyj ill ths little harbor. Herr Oman was going to sail "Vf^ to Stockholm, forty miles away, in the Great Eka, and the little village of live houses and twenty-six souls was in a state of keen excitement. Everybody was down around the cove, and as many as possible were bustling about on the narrow plank pier. Oman and another islander were already on board the Great JETca, a rough, beamy lap- streak boat, eighteen feet long, and dark and grimy with many old coats of pitch; but, for all that, it was quite evi- dent from the way everyone spoke of her, and from the important bearing of Captain Oman, that the boat possessed rare qualities of both stanchness and speed, and was, in fact, the pride of the isles. She was moored alongside the pier; the captain had already set up her two masts, and all the world of Langvik- skar was helping load her with hands or tongue. Tliey had already stowed on board several barrels of salt strom- ming, the delicious little herring of the Baltic, and were placing over them some great wooden trays covered with fresh stromming, that luorning's catch, shining like silver, and several goodly bunches of eider-ducks, most of which I had shot and distributed among the islanders as pi'esents. "You will pardon our selling the birds," they said; "we know you meant to do us the most good with them; we can live much more cheaply on rye bread, and we so much need the money the ducks will bring us; we can get 262 SWEDEN AND THE SWEDES. two crowns a pair for them quick on the market-place at Stockholm." And now come Franz' mother and sister over a rock hillock, tugging and x^uUing along a little dun bull-calf, five weeks old. All hands take hold and assist in this bull- fight, and after a great deal of dragging and shoving on the part of genus homo, and much kicking and plunging on the part of youthful taurus, he is hauled out upon the pier and placed in the boat athwart ships, in a narrow little bin filled with plenty of hay for him to nestle down into when he gets over his fright and becomes tired standing. He has a little yoke on his neck, and Herr Oman ties him with ropes right and left forward, and rope traces lead right and left backward. So securely do they make fast the little brown bull. Now the daughter jumps down into the boat. ' ' Where are you taking the calf? ' ' "To the butcher's in Stockholm." Yet she threw a blanket over him of coarse bagging, and borrowing her father's knife, and cutting holes, she ran twine through and tied tlie blanket tightly about her pet. Over the rough blanket she placed a little old com- forter quilt, such as you might see lying over a baby in his cradle, patched but clean, and tied it round and round with rope. ' ' N ow you Avon' t feel the cold wind, my little calf. And here is his milk, father; don't forget to give it to him when you get on as far as Fjaderholmarne. ' ' She set down the pail on the thwart, patted the little beast on the side of his head, and looked into his great brown eyes. "Good-bj-e, my little calf, ' ' she said, and stooping over kissed the white star on his forehead. ' ' And here is your luncheon, my little old man, ' ' spoke up Fru Oman, " and everything is ready for cooking coifee in the pail." For you must know that the modest freight admits of no hotel or other bills en roide. To-night they will reach Fjaderholmarne, a little harbor between the "Feather Islands," if the wind is only passably fair. Here they THE GREAT EKA. 263 anchor, and sleep in the open boat, with blankets drawn over them. In the early dawn, they take a bite of what was left over from supper, washed down with the never-failing cup of hot coffee, give the calf the last half of his milk, and sail, or pull if the morn be calm, to Stockholm, arriving, perhaps, as early as five o'clock. Here they sell their wares, make their purchases, do their errands, and start away again before night-fall, getting back sometime next day to their rocky isle at sea, thus taking three days for the round trip. Now all is ready; they cast oft' and pull out of the cove before setting sail. ' ' But, mother, you forgot to tell father to buy some matches, and we haven't one in the house; shall I shout to him? ' ' whispered Christine. "What! before all these people? No! not for the world. " I looked around on "all these people," the little knot of islanders, all relatives, watching the white sail slide behind the point. But Christine got her matches. She did not have to wait till the Great Eka got back, either. (264) CllArTER XXIV WOODCOCK SHOOTING. Q3'HE open season for woodcock in Sweden begins on l^^i- May nth. At Jive o'clock on the afternoon of that /§ l^f daj^ 1 drove down to the granite steps in front of f^' the National Museum, and was welcomed on board the steam-launch Fninboda Slip by my friend, Engineer O. A. Frestaclius. The launch at once cast off and steamed swiftly down the bay. Going aft, I found three other- sportsmen in the little cabin, surrounded hy quite an arsenal of guns, cartridges, lunch-baskets, extra overcoats, and other sporting paraphernalia. We sailed through the beautiful Skuru Sund, which looked much grander from our low launch than from the upper- deck of a x)assenger steamboat, and landed at the estate of Ostervik, on the right bank. Passing the stately villa, whose summer occupants had not yet moved out from the city, our host led the way into the forest. Here he stationed us at intervals through the woods, some three or four gunshots apart, in places where he knew the woodcock would be likely to "draw." I A\'as stationed on a cliff, with a free view between the trees overhead and in front. I could hear Engineer Fres- tadius giving directions and warnings to the other gentle- men as he left each at his post, then I heard him crashing- through the woods behind me to take his own position; then he whistled in his dog and commanded him to lie down, and then all was still — as still as a spring sunset in the Northern woods can be. The sky was without a cloud, the air without a breath; but the forest rang with the song of birds, now here, now there, now from everywhere around (265) 266 SWEDEN AND THE SWEDES. me. It was past eight o'clock. The sun had just gone down, the clear sky glowed with hues of gold 9.nd orange, against which the dark tree-tops in front of me outlined themselves in sombre yet beautiful tracery. About quarter of an hour past sunset, I hear, above the carols of the song-birds, a distant yet perfectly distinct grunting, always twice repeated after short inter- vals, like the self-satisfied grunting of a hog eating from a full trough. ' ' Knarr, knarr ! Knarr, knarr ! Knarr, knarr ! " It comes ever louder and nearer. It comes from above, and looking up to the left I see a dark bird flying toward me over the tall tree-tops. As he comes on I hear a hissing whistle which follows the grunting. "Knarr, knarr, hvist! Knarr, knarr, hvist! " There was plenty of time to get ready, and leisurely raising my gun as he comes within range, I fire. The bird falls down through the air in a beautiful curve, dead at my feet, and I pick up my first woodcock, shot pa strack, as the Swedes call this evening flight-shooting. Then all was still again save the vespers of the forest songsters, and we stood quietly, each at his post, in the beautiful, lingering, Northern twilight. Now and again I hear a "Knarr, knarr! Knarr, knarr!" passing along at a distance, followed by a shot from some of my comrades, and once a double echoes through the still air. Twice a cock flew along just out of range. Then I hear a grunting that approaches ever nearer. Now I hear his hiss. "Knarr, knarr, hvist!" Where can that bird be? Again close to me, "Knarr, knarr, hvist!" Behind me, sure. I wheel about. Over a thick pine-top the cock bursts upon me. I riddle him before he is half across the narrow vista between the pine and a spreading maple-tree. He drops into a gully choked with the leaves of last autumn, and I have a long search to find him, but pick him up at last just as Frestadius' black-and-white pointer arrives to my aid. 'J \ THE EUROPEAN WOODCOCK. (267) 268 s'n'p:DEN and the swedes. It was now nine o'clock. We waited a quarter of an hour longer in the twilight that never seems to fade. Then our host came to me, and we went together through the woods and joicked up our companions. The engineer him- self had not fired a shot. His nephew, Lieut. E. A. Fres- tadius, had one shot, and missed. The lieutenant did better than this next summer dancing the bonde j)olska with maidens fair at Lysekih Herr George A. Eastman had missed one cock, but shot another. Herr Bjorck had fired the double at long range, but his bird kept on. Witness in this an illustration of courtesy among Swedish sportsmen; the stranger was given the best stand, the host takes the worst. A hearty lunch was served in the little cabin as we steamed swiftly homeward, and we landed on the granite quay just as the clock in the belfry of St. Jacob's church struck eleven. I walked home in the wan, ghostly twilight that takes the place of darkness all through the midnight when May comes to the Northland. From the time the woodcock arrives in Scandinavia, in March and April, all through the spring and early summer, the male bird flies every fair evening after sunset. His grunt and hiss are his love-notes — which shows a great lack of taste on the part of this king of game-birds. His queen crouching in some swampy run answers his call, when down flits Mr. Woodcock through the tree-branches for a pleasant evening. The woodcock flies by certain definite routes over the woods, night after night following the same aerial paths, and these become well known to local sportsmen. By May 11th, Mis. Woodcock has laid all her eggs and is sitting quietly on her nest. The iisefulness of the old gentleman has then departed, but he seems oblivious of the fact, and still hangs on, flying around and grunting and hissing forth his sweet nothings, which his spouse very seldom replies to, because by this time the old fellow has got to be quite a nuisance about the house; so the Swedish law gives him no further protection, and the sportsman gladly steps in and relieves madam of the now useless pest of her life. WOODCOCK-SHOOTING. 269 The European woodcock — Scolopax rustlcola — is (juiie different from the woodcock of America. He is nearly twice as large. I have sliot them weighing tliirteen ounces, and I once saw a woodcock sliot near Gotlienburg wdiich lacked only one ounce of a pound. Their plumage is grayer than our ruddy-brown birds, their wings longer and more pointed. In the autumn they afford no good shooting that can be depended upon. Now and again you may get one or two while following other game, but raiely more. They then lie well to the dog, but there is no merrj" whistle as they rise, and they flit away in an awkward, vacillating, jerky flight, like a bat. A couple of days after this, a little partj^ of gentlemen left Stockholm by railroad on the live o'clock train, and ari'ived at Bro Station at quarter past six. Here Judge Hjalmar Tauvon met us with carriages, and we were driven to Thoresta, his country estate. We were welcomed by his good motJier and regaled with a lunch which stood read}'' awaiting us on the table. Then w^e were divided into two parties and walked to the woods. The judge has everything arranged for evening tiight- shooting. I was mounted upon a x^latform built up six feet from the ground. Around me a clearing had been made thirt}' yards in diameter in the low spruce-woods. It seemed like some offering-]_)lace of the ancient Druid priests in the forest; but it was only for woodcock-shooting. Through the still evening air I hear the liquid soprano trilling of the black cock calling to his mate. Then a cuckoo calls, exactly as he does from a Swiss clock. I sat down on a post which stood up at a convenient height from the center of my platform, and was just think- ing how economical of time is this shooting pa strack — since you need not depart by rail or boat till five o' clock, when the day's work is done; and how economical of cartridges, too, for it is so seldom that a bird happens along — when my meditations were interrupted by the now well-known grunt and hiss, and I knocked down a woodcock as lie came sail- ing leisurely over me from behind. 270 SWEDEN AND THE SWEDES. After an hour I hear talking to my right, and the judge, witli Count Wrangel, emerge from the woods. To my sur- prise they had nothing at all; and the shots I had heard had been fired to call in their dog, which had taken to ranging the woods and hunting on his own account. Re- turning home, we found the other party already arrived, and as they had nothing, our one bird was easily cock of the walk. So we went into the mansion and sat down to an elaborate souper, and it was midnight before we got to bed. In obedience to custom and the mandate of our host, the candles were lighted in our rooms, though this seemed to be but a mere matter of form, it was so light everywhere, both out-doors and in. What surprises me most about a herregods — a Swedish gentleman's country residence — is its amplitude. Here, sitting on the level brow of the hill, shaded by lofty trees centuries old, is a great, white, wooden building, with vast dining-room, sitting-rooms, and bedrooms. I measured mine; it is twenty-four feet square. The joiner-work is a little coarse, joints not so true and rectangular as with us. The floors are scoured white and are bare, save a rug here and there; the furniture is scanty after American ideas, and there are not many of the beautiful, bothersome knick-knacks laid around and stuck up everywhere; but everything about the house is ample, generous, grand, like Swedish hospitality. A garden of flowers and shrubs and paths forms a great square underneath the ancient elms in front, and all around the outer line of this square are strung low buildings, concealed by the foliage, for the men and maid servants, interspersed with tool and repair shops. Behind the main building are a large vegetable garden and orchard, together with the barns and stables, while the farm stretches and rolls away to the forest-clad hills. And this is a type of the estates of Swedish gentlemen in Central and Southern Sweden; for this country still has gentry that live most of the year in the country, and weave into their lives somewhat of the freshness and beauty of the lordly nature which surrounds them. WOODCOCK-SHOOTING. 271 The lofty plateau of Judge Tauvon's residence over- looks the long arm of the Malar Lake running north to Upsala; and as we walked in the garden on the morrow, and inhaled the fresh morning air, our very souls seemed to expand as we gazed from the brow of the bluff over the dark wooded valley of this Malar Fjard. Coffee was served on rising; we breakfasted at nine, then practiced shooting for a couple of hours at iron pigeons that swooped around in immense circles from the top of a pole. Then we walked to an interesting old bauta stone that raised its rude shaft from the field, and after- ward strolled far into the woods and visited an osprey's nest perched atop a dead pine. The mother bird was on the nest and her mate wheeling about in the air overhead. I whistled to them, and they ansAvered with their short, quickly-repeated whistling notes, exactly as the osprey does among the islands or along the lakes of New England. This pair return every year and use the same nest on the lonely pine-tree. We dined at three, and after coffee in the garden, carriages were at the door, and we drove across country and paid a visit to the judge's brother. At sunset we were again at our stations in the woods. It was Count Wrangel who shot the woodcock this evening; and as for the rest of us, why, we watched the lingering sunset and heard the birds sing. Some days after, talking with my colleague. Prince Karadja Pacha, envoy of the Sultan, about woodcock-shoot- ing, he ex]Dressed a desire to try his hand at it; so Engineer Frestadius very kindly arranged a party for the Turkish Prince. We steamed far out in the skargard, and landed on the wooded shore of Tynningo. There was no road nor I)ath, and we made our way through the woods over diffi- cult ground for a mile. Then the engineer assigned us our posts, and we stood in the forest waiting for the grunting of the woodcock. It was a raw, gusty evening, and the birds flew poorly. Frestadius shot one, and, as no more appeared, decided to give up the shoot early, and so went around and called to all the sportsmen. 272 SWEDEN AND THE SWEDES. We met at the foot of a cliff, but Prince Karadja was not among us. ' ' Did jrou call him? ' ' ' ' Yes, certainly. ' ' " Well, perhaps he did not hear. Let us call again." So we all called as loudly as we could yell. No answer. ' ' Something strange about this. ' ' "Let us fire off our guns. I'll be bound he'll hear that. ' ' Bang! bang! bang! bang! five sportsmen let off a salvo of ten shots. We all stood alert, listening in the silence that followed. Not a sound in reply. "Oh, well," said our host, "the Prince has his lackey with him. Surely one or the other would answer if they were here. It is a clear case. Karadja got tired waiting, with no birds to shoot at, and has gone back to the boat. Not to blame, either; it's a poor evening, this." So we started to return. The wind increased, the sky grew overcast and black, and it became quite dark in the woods. We were all glad when we emerged upon the shore and saw the cozy red light gleaming from the furnace of the little steamer hard by. " Is the Prince there?" we shouted. "No; nobody has come back here," answered the cap- tain. "Fan," ejaculated Frestadius. It was now eleven o'clock. Taking a comrade with him, our host plunged back into the dusky woods. They returned a little after midnight, with the Prince walking- erect as a drum-major and his little lackey shuffling along behind. "How did this happen, Karadja? " quoth I. " Why, we called, and yelled, and ffred off our guns, so you must have heard us. ' ' "Of course I did," answered the Prince, with a smile; "but you see I never shot woodcocks before. I wish to do according to rule, but I don't know the rule very well. I WOODCOCK-SHOOTING. 273 stand still a long time; no woodcocks ily about me; then I hear yon all cry and scream. All! I say to myself, my good friends, now they will scare up the birds with their cries so that they will fly to me, and I will shoot them ; so I hide myself behind a bush, not to frighten the birds. Then you all fire yoirr guns. Ah! surely the birds must come now; so I hide still deeper in the woods. But no woodcocks come, and I wait and wait. But," continued the Prince, drawing himself up into a military attitude, ' ' I maintain my post until properly relieved by my commanding offi- cer who placed me there." 18 (274) CHAPTER XXY. SA L M X- FI8HI N G . '^riE king of fish is the sahiion. The most royal of sports is his pursuit; that is, Avlien you pursue him as a true sportsman — with rod like steel sirring, with ^^ taper line, leader of single gut, and feathered hook that darts like an arrow through the summer air and drops as a snow-flake on the swirling pool beneath the rapids. So, being in Sweden, I was bound to have some salmon- fishing. I made a study of it all through the winter, and big is the package of letters I have on file answering my questions on the taking of this silvery fish. I found that although the salmon are fairly plenty in nearly all the rivers of Sweden, yet no salmon will take the fly in any stream flowing into the Baltic Sea or the Gulf of Bothnia; that is, the whole east coast of the Scandi- navian Peninsula. On the west coast of Sweden, and on the Avhole west coast of Norway, the salmon have a much keener appreciation of the desires of the sportsman, and rise freely to the fly in every suitable pool. Singularly enough, the very reverse is the case in North America. Here, in the rivers falling into the Atlantic Ocean the salmon take the fly freely, but in the rivers of the Pacific Slope, never. "Oh, well, the salmon won't take a fly there," said the British commissioners, slightinglj^ as they at last yielded up all claims of England to the western portion of our continent south of the forty-ninth parallel. One Scandinavian river after another I wrote about, only to get the unvarying reply: "The fishing in this river is let for a term of years to an English gentleman," etc. At last, a ray of light broke in, and fishing could be had (275) 276 SWEDEN AND THE SWEDES. on the Laga River, in Sweden. It was described to me in a letter as ' ' the right to fish with rod, line, and hook from Kassefors to Hoi'mulle, as far as the Uddeknlla estate extends," and was represented as abounding with salmon. The bait took. I immediately secured the lease of the stream, and one fine summer's day found me on its banks. It was a river of fair size, with plenty of rajjids, and some good pools. It looked well. I jDut together my split- bamboo rod, placed a tempting "jock scott" on the leader, and cast faithfully over the first pool. No rise. On approaching the next pool, what should I see but a stal- wart viking, with roUed-up breeches, standing knee-deej) in the stream, fishing with a mighty pine of the forest and a red fly the size of a partridge. "What does this mean? " said I. "This man is fishing in the waters I have leased." "Oh," said my lessor, "it is all correct. This man has also the right to fish here. If you will read your lease care- full}', you will see that it gives you the right to fish, but not the exclusive right. ' ' "Ah! I see. And are there any moreV ' ' Only one more, and I hope you three will get along nicely together." And now there appeared on top of the hill-side opposite a band of men, each armed with a pole that seemed to reach the heavens. I counted them — the men, not the heavens; they numbered seventeen, and made a most imposing appearance as, with their mighty poles on high, they began to execute a movement, single file, down the hill-side toward the river. " What army is this? " quoth I. ' ' Oh, these are only the farmers that have the right of fishing on the opposite bank of the river. If you will read your lease carefully, you will see that your right goes only as far as the Uddeknlla estate extends, and the Uddeknlla estate does not extend across-stream. You see?" SALMON-FISHING. 277 "Yes, I see, too late;" and I reeled in my line, wiped my brow, sat me down on a stone, and meditated npon the power of language if adroitly used in a lease. Well, I was in for it. There were salmon in the river, and although I had only one-twentieth of the hshing, I still had a right to cast a hy; and cast it I would, and cast it I did. For ten days I swung my rod over the stream, with one joint proprietor above and another below me, while seventeen mighty rods brushed the air opposite. What made it all tlie worse was that these Swedish i^eas- ants, with their unwieldy twenty-foot rods and home-made FALKENBERG. tackle, threw an excellent hy, and every now and again landed a fish. On my fifth day, I hooked a salmon that flashed down- stream like an arrow, cut around a jagged rock in the shoal rapids, and broke my leader like tow. On the seventh day, I hooked another, or perhaps the same fish over again, for lie went through the same evolution, with the same result. This sort of salmon-fishing began to get monotonous. Last summer, Baron Oscar Dickson, of Gothenliurg, had casually remarked that he should invite me to fish in the Atran. What if he were to invite me now? Would not 278 SWEDEW AND THE SWEDES. that be glorious? I eagerly Avatched the mails, but no letter of invitation came. I do believe, reasoned I, that if the baron knew what a fearf ulh- stupid time I am having on this river, he would invite me now. Why not write and tell him? Oh, no; that would be very bad form — begging an invitation. And so I fished on, surrounded by my noble armj^ of fishermen, with never a rise. On the tenth day, I could stand it no longer. To the telegraph ofiice, not to the river, I went, and dispatched this message: "Baron Oscar Dickson, Gothenburg: Could you kindly telegraph me about Avhen I may fish the Atran? " And I went back to the village hotel, settled myself in a chair, cocked up my legs, and read a newspaper with great determination. In about two hours, there was a rap at the door, the little girl from the telegraph office came in, dropped a courtesy, and gave me this message: "The Atran is placed at j^our disposition for a week. "Oscar Dickson." I gave a "whoop," Jumped out of the chair, ordered horses, and at noon was rattling along the dusty road to the north. Fresh horses were harnessed in at Halmstad, and at eight o'clock of a bright northern evening we drove over the stone bridge across the Atran, and drew up at the door of the hotel in the pretty little town of Falkenberg. Next morning, I was early at the river-bank with Nils- son, the gafiler. In the second pool, I hooked and landed my first Swedish salmon. A little farther down, I landed a second fish. From a boat in the center of the lower rapid, I took a very bright salmon, fresh run from the sea, and weighing thirteen pounds, and crossing to the opposite shore, landed two more — the largest twelve loounds. At nine o'clock I reeled up and went home to breakfast, with iive salmon. I began to think I would sell out my lease on the Laga at a very considerable reduction on the original cost. In the evening, I whipped the right bank without a rise. Crossing the river, I soon landed a twelve-pounder, and then hooked the heaviest fish of the day, that shot down- SALMON-FISHIN^G. 279 stream like a rocket, and ended his grand first rush with a leap four feet in air; but the hook held fast. I played him gingerly, and in a quarter of an hour towed him along- side the rock whereon stood Mlsson with his mighty land- ing-net. The old man slid the net under, scooped up the salmon, and held him some three feet in air, when with one big hop the salmon broke through the meshes of the rotten net and tumbled back into the river. The fright gave the fish new life. He shot across-stream like a fiash. I yelled to Nilsson; he held up the landing-net as the clown at a circus holds up the paper balloon for Mademoiselle THE MAIN STREET OF FALKENBEHG Victoria, "the champion bareback-rider of the world," to jump through, and with line running through the torn meshes of this wi'etched net, I played the salmon till he was perfectly quiet and had gone to bottom in mid-stream. Then, slowly reeling in as I advanced the rod, I thrust the tip into the rent in the net, passed the whole rod quietly through, and breathed easy again. When Nilsson had mended the net, I towed in the salmon, now entirely spent and lying on his side. Again Nilsson scooped him up; again he flopped, and, horrors! again he broke through that infamous net and tumbled into the river. Immediately 280 SWEDEN AND THE SWEDES. tlie air grew hot and heavy with the admonitions I could not refrain from administering to the old man iix:)on the enormity of his using a net of such an exasperating degree of rottenness. Wonderful to relate, the hook still held. I shall always swear by double hooks hereafter, if not at rotten nets. Again old Nilsson assumed the rule of the circus-clown; again I played the salmon through the upheld balloon, and again I passed the rod clean through the rot- ten meshes. Now I dragged the salmon through the rapids till the life seemed drowned out of him. Not till he turned up his pearly breast did I bring him into the rocks, when old Nilsson, having thrown away his worthless net, grabbed master salmon by the gills with his sure talons and lugged him, flopping, ashore — a sixteen-pounder. I immediately sent Nilsson to the hotel for my gaff. Reclining on the grassy bank, I watched the fast-flowing river. Between tree-embowered banks the Atran ripples and rushes, surges and swirls in its rocky bed. These rapids are about a quarter of a mile in extent, and furnish six or eight good pools on either side the river. Five minutes' walk down-stream brings jon to the stone bridge; five minutes' farther is the salt water of the open Kattegat. In these rapids you greet the silver-sided, pearly-throated salmon, fresh from the sea. The world may furnish a better salmon river; I do not know of one. On the left bank of the river, a tree-shaded way follows the meanderings of the stream — the "Doctor's Way." Twenty-one years ago this very summer — a light-hearted boy — I had lounged along this Doctor's Walk and gazed upon the self-same river, and now came running through my mind these lines of Horace: "The livisbandman sits on the banks of the river, And waits for the stream to flow by, But the swift-flowing river flows onward forever, And will flow eternally." A light laugh behind me wakes me from my reverie. Turning my head, I see three pretty Swedish maidens sauntering along the path. Each has a flower in her hand; BARON OSCAR DICKSON, (881) 282 SWEDEN AND THE SWEDES. but the flowers were not sunflowers nor lilies, and the maids were not aesthetic, only three blue-eyed, golden-haired, pretty girls of the south of Sweden. Smiling, twirling their flowers, they seat themselves on a bench close to me and wait to see me fish. It was nine o' clock and the shades of evening were slowly falling, even in this sunny north, but I felt the honor of America was at stake. Slipping on a silver doctor, I commenced casting over the stream. Gradually lengthening my casts, I at last, under the insijiration of my pleasant company, threw my fly to a spot I had made at least half a dozen failures to reach during the day. Swift and true as a lance the feathered, glittering hook flew to the swirling edge of that far sunken rock. A silver flash, and a leaping salmon catches the hook in air and dives into the flood. The maidens clap their hands. Now he darts across-stream. Again he leaps, now here, now there, and almost at the same instant, way yonder; so quickly the leaps flash one upon the other, you can scarcely believe it is the same fish. Slowly his strength is spent, and as I draw him near the strand, a young man with a quick jerk of the gaff flings the salmon quivering upon the greensward. I turn and take off my hat to the maidens three. They rise, and all drop a courtesy; then, waving their flowers, thejf slowly j)ass down the Doctor's Way toward the town. The young man that so opportunelj^ appeared with my gaff was ISTilsson's son. He remained with me as guide and gaffer during the rest of my stay. The old man never reappeared. Can it be that he was a strict constructionist, and took exception to certain language addressed to him, as our statesmen sa.j, "in the heat of debate? " Casting out again I landed another salmon, and reeled up at ten o'clock with nine as my score for the first day. But my host, though leasing the fishing, does not own the salmon caught. These are all sold according to ancient custom, and the proceeds go one-half to the town of Falken- berg, one-fourth to the mayor, and one-fourth to the aldermen. 3AR0N A E NORDENSKIOLD. 284 SWEDEN AND THE SWEDES. I attended the sale next morning at nine o'clock. My catch was laid in a row on the floor. The flsh were first weighed and the weight of each carefully written in a book; then each fish was put up separately and sold at auction. There were some twenty persons present, and the bidding was lively. The auctioneer was the chairman of the Board of Aldermen, and he knocked down each fish with a blow of his ivory mallet on the table. Prices took a large range. 1 bid off the first fish I landed at seventy-five ore a pound, while one lean racer, that must have been in the river a month and had got reduced to six pounds, was knocked ofi: to a buxom woman from the country, with a big basket on her arm, for thirty-five ore. The second day I caught six salmon. The third, fourth, and fifth days I took it very leisurely, and landed four fish each day. The sixth day I arose at three o' clock, and landed ionr salmon before breakfast. In the forenoon I caught seven fine fish, one of them weighing sixteen pounds, and wound up in the evening with three more, making fourteen salmon for the day, and forty-one for my six consecutive days' fishing. As bounteous as the river is its honored proprietor, Baron Oscar Dickson. He is the Vanderbilt of Sweden; but he is not only a merchant larince, he is the benefactor of every good and great work that commends itself to his judgment or enlists his sympathies. Whenever his heart goes out toward an object, be it in the interest of science or humanity, his great wealth flows forth as freely as the rushing waters of the Atran. It was the princely generosity and signal executive ability of Baron Dickson, united with the equal contribu- tions of King Oscar and a Russian gentleman, M. Sibiria- koff, that enabled the great Arctic explorer, Nordenskiuld to circumnavigate, for the first time in history, the conti- nent of Asia. The Msecenas of the Northland! Long may he live to swing the salmon-rod, or fit out expeditions to the North Pole! CHAPTER XXVI, THE MIDNIGHT SUN. .r^vN December 21st, at Stockholm, our day was less (||ii4|i] than six hours long — or, rather, short; but every ^\Wj} ^^y since, we have been gaining in daylight upon 'vy^ the dwellers in more southern climes. February 2d, the sun for the tirst time rose before eight and set after four, giving us a day of eight hours, the longest for three months, and on March 21st we caught up with the rest of the world. Then the day in Scandinavia is just as long as anybody's day this revolving globe over. And for the next six months! Ah! this is a wonderful time. Now the people of the Northland are abundantly repaid for all the gloom of winter by the brightness of glorious summer-time. Every day, until midsummer, the sim rises farther to the north of east and sets farther and farther be- yond west toward the north again. Every day his glowing- disk courses through a longer and higher arc of the heavens, and dips under an ever briefer s^^ace of the horizon to the north. He soon gets to rising at hours impossible for any- one but a fisherman or a duck-shooter, and in the even- ing slides northward above the horizon, lingering along hour after hour, loth to leave the beautiful land he looks down upon. The country-folk must sit up till after their bed-time to see him set, and you may well despair of seeing him rise. Now you can be as lazy as you like; you may squander your hours with a princely prodigality if you will; there is time enough and light enough for everything. Sauntering out in the sunny evening, you can scarce believe your eyes when you see the hands of the clock on the cathedral (285) (286) THE MIDNIGHT SUN. 287 pointing to IX, and tlie whole lofty cathedral tower still ablaze in the sunlight. On June 21st, the sun rises upon slumbering Stockholm at thirty-three minutes past two, and sets at live minutes past nine, when all the world are out-of-doors on their even- ing stroll, and the air is filled with music from the many outdoor cafes and restaurants. The day is more than eighteen and a half hours long, and there is no night, for before the red of sunset pales in the northwest, the glow of sunrise kindles in the eastern skies. Darkness! there is none of it. The sun disappears, it is true, but he only slides und^'r the horizon for a brief space, and before he has dropx^i-d seven degrees below, he begins to swing ui3 again. He skims along just out of sight, that is all; and when the sky is clear, you can always tell where the sun is by the brightest light just over his head. At a point due north, the glows of sunset melt into sunrise, with no dark between. Oh, the beautiful, bright summer nights of the North- land! with the clear air luminous with brilliant hues and vocal with the songs of merry-makers, as in happy com- panies they stroll over the rocky hills or paddle down the gleaming lakes. Sitting at your northern windows, you may read your newspaper at midnight; and you will often be tempted to take a stroll out-of-doors at this hour, and watch the red glow behind the rocky hills in the north, and the ghostly gray light that pervades all space, yet seems to come from nowhere. You feel but little inclination to go to bed or to sleep in midsummer- time. You put double cui tains on your bed- room windows; but the light penetrates everywhere, and you are forced to pull the sheet over your head before you can sleep. You wake up at any time of night, and you see everything in your room as clearly as in bright moonlight. A Swede once said to me, speaking of a past event: "No, that could not have been in the summer; it must have been in the autumn, for I recollect we had darli nights at the time." Would an American ever use such an expression? (288) THE MIDNIGHT SUN. 289 For two months the street-lamps in Stockhohn are not lit, and the Government puts out all the lights in the light- houses within the skargard. There is no need of them. And this in Southern and Central Sweden. In the far north, the sun does not set for many a week, making the entire summer one long, unbroken day. The strangest and grandest sight of all the Northland is the midnight sun. A favorite point of view for Swedish tourists is from Mount Avasaxa, a mountain a short distance beyond the head of the Gulf of Bothnia, and just across the border, in Finland. A better view can be had from Mount Dundret. This mountain is now easily accessible by the new Arctic railroad from Lulea, and a walk of two hours from the railroad station takes you to Dundret's top. But if you would obtain the best outlook possible, you should make the voyage to Northern Norway, and standing on the rugged headland of the North Cape of Europe, watch the sun through the midnight hours as he skims along over the Polar Sea. I once visited those lofty regions of the sunny North. During a stay of over a month, the sun sailed round and round through the heavens in majestic circles that never once dipped beneath the horizon, making my month's sojourn one unbroken day, and calling to mind the descrip- tion of heaven: "There shall be no night there." I seemed to have entered another world — the realm of undying day. One bright July night, three comrades and myself landed on the shore of a polar fjord and ascended a cliff which rose a thousand feet above the sea. It was late, but still sunlight. The Arctic Ocean stretched away in silent vastness at our feet; the sound of its waves scarcely reached our airy lookout. Away in the north the huge red sun swung low along the horizon— like one slow beat of the round brass pendulum in the tall clock in our grandfather's parlor corner. We all stood silent, looking at our watches. When both hands came together at twelve, midnight, the full round orb hung triumphantly above the wave— a bridge of 19 290 SWEDEN AND THE SWEDES. gold, running due north, spanned the water between us and him. There he shone in silent majesty that knew no setting. We involuntarily took off our hats — no word was said. Combine, if you can, the most brilliant sunset and sun- rise you ever saw, and its beauties will pale before the gorgeous coloring which now lit up ocean, heavens, and mountain. In half an hour the sun had swung up percei)tibly on his beat; the colors changed to those of morning, a fresh breeze came rippling over the fjord, one songster after another piped up his little morning song in the grove behind us — we had slid into another day. [Mill CHAPTER XXVII MIDSUMMER. ITTLE wonder is it tliat the people of the Northland joyously celebrate the glorious culmination of light and heat for the year, when the sun rides highest ^^* in the heavens, when light is victorious and darkness conquered and banished. If you are traveling at midsummer-time, you will see at every village a Majstang erected on the village green. The May-pole is fifty or sixty, or sometimes a hundred, feet high; it is covered its entire length with bright-green boughs of the birch, then it is decked out with wreaths and garlands of birch-leaves and flowers hanging from cross-trees here and there, and it flutters all over with gay-colored flags and streamers, while highest of all, from the top of the pole, floats out the blue-and-yellow flag of Sweden. On midsummer's eve — the 23d of June — all the vil- lagers and all the peasants from far and near gather about the May-pole; and here, with music, song, and dance, they while away the livelong night, which in truth is no night at all, only a glorious, ruddy twilight from late sunset till early dawn. As the sun goes down, the country-folk light bonfires on the hill-tops. Then is a rare opportunity to sail along the west coast of Sweden. The rocky headlands are ablaze with beacon-lights, the fires flash across the fjards, and the wild grandeur of the northern clifl's glows in vivid colors that will ever remain a picture on your memory. The festival of midsummer, like that of Yule, has come down from remote antiquity, from the old heathen times, and the fires now lit upon the crags are but the after-glow of the pyres built on consecrated heights, and fired on. (891) 292 SWEDEN AND THE SWEDES. midsummer's eve bj' heathen priests — "pale old men with flowing silver beards and flint knives in their horny hands; " and these pyres were lit, in the far-ofl' twilight of history, in honor of the sun-god, the mild, beautiful, radiant Balder, for this was the time of his victory over the powers of darkness. And even as the spruce-tree is found in every house in the Northland at Christmas, so is the birch everywhere to be seen at midsummer. The one, dark and sombre, is the fitting symbol of Yule, the darkest time of year; the other, with its bright-green leaves shining as if varnished, and its white bark, the true sign of bright, joyous midsummer. But dark as is the Christmas-tree, it is yet green — aye! evergreen — and so is a promise of returning light and life, of which the verdant birch, "bride of the forest," is the fruition. All day on June 23d you see troops of lads and lasses strolling along the green country lanes, or rambling over the hills, carrying fresh boughs of the birch in their hands. Numberless loads of young birch-trees are brought to Stockholm the day before, by boats on the Malar Lake and by wagons from all the country round about. Along the quay at Ridderholmen is a green-leaf market where the country-folk sell birches, and flowers, and miniature May- poles. All over the city the shops, door- ways, court-yards, and windows are decorated with the bright green of the birches. Stockholm's myriad steamers are fringed all around their decks with the greenest foliage. In the streets, all the truck and drosky horses are decked out Avith birch-boughs. Little groves of birch rise above the horses' shoulders, and tiny green sprays nod above their ears. Boughs of birch are stuck up, too, in all the carts and wagons; and now a truckman drives along sitting in a perfect bower of green, such a mass of leafy birch rises up around the wagon-seat and meets over his head. The festivities of tlie summer solstice are continued throughout June 24th — midsummer's day — with picnics and outdoor parties; then follows another night of dancing around the May -pole. (293) 294 SWEDEN AND THE SWEDES. It seemed strange to me that the pole erected in June should be called a May-pole, the same word with which we in America and England designate the pole we erect on May 1st to celebrate the return of spring. On investi- gation, I ascertained that the Swedish word for May — Maj — does not in this instance mean the month May, but is old Swedish for ' ' green leaf. ' ' The May-j)ole is then literally, a,s it is in fact, the green-leaf pole, and it stands as token of the festival of the green leaf. Can it be that our May- pole had a similar meaning originally? And many other midsummer customs still exist in good old Sweden. At Lulea, up near the Arctic Circle, the peoi^le betake themselves on midsummer's eve to a neighboring mountain, called Mjolkudds Berget. Upon this height, they build a multitude of small bonlires. Around these, they gather, family by family, in little clusters, and here, according to immemorial custom, they drink their midsum- mer coffee. The coffee-kettle must be put on the fire just as the sun goes down. But before the coffee is cooked, the sun is already up again. In many provinces, the Swedish maidens wander through the fields and gather flowers on midsummer's night. TJhey are silent and solitary, and should you meet them, they will answer never a word to your questions, for theirs is no ordinary mission. In Dalecarlia, the girl must isick three different kinds of flowers, and retain three of each kind. She may only answer by signs, and, neither going afield nor returning home, must she open her mouth. In Dais- land, the maid must pluck no less than nine distinct species of flowers, and these must be gathered from the farms of nine separate owners. She must be entirely alone, and pre- serve absolute silence all through the night and until she gets up next morning. The maiden binds the flowers into a garland, or, in some provinces, into a bouquet, called qvast — literally broom— and lays them under her pillow wdien she goes to bed; and, if she has fulfilled all the conditions conscientiously, she will see that night her future husband, who will appear to her in her dreams. MIDSUMMER. 295 Connected with this poetic prophecy of the flowers is another more prosaic — tlie pancake oracle— still invoked in many districts in Sweden. And here again we come upon the magic number three. For maidens three must together take down the bowl from the cupboard. Together they must break the eggs, pour in the milk, hold the cream- whip, as with three hands they beat the paste, and strew in the flour, and at last the salt. Usually, each one throws in so much salt that the cake is almost uneatable. All three must then take part in cooking the cake, jointly pouring it into the frying- pan, and turning it, which seldom is done without some laughable accident. A still severer condition is, that during the whole time one must not si)eak a word nor laugh. This condition must also be implicitly observed while each girl eats her third part of the delicacy, and until she has gone to bed and to sleep. No one of the maidens may drink after par- taking of the salt pancake, for she shall ' ' drink in dreams ' ' WEAVING GARLANDS FOR THE MAY-POLE. (From a Painting by Johan Boklund.) that is, a handsome youth shall appear and ofl:er her a refreshing beverage. And this youth can be no other, of course, than he who will one day lead the girl to the altar. In Norrland, the peasantry are accustomed on midsum- mer's eve to bind together all sorts of flowers and plants into bouquets called midsommar qvastar. These they hang up in all their buildings, especially in the stables and cow- houses, so that the cattle may not be bewitched. Johan- nes gras ( Hypericum) must not be lacking in these bouquets, for this has a special power most irresistible in warding oflE all kinds of diseases from animals. 296 SWEDEN AND THE SAVEDES. It was formerly the custom in the province of Medelpad and the country round about, to wrap oneself up in a sheet and lie out upon the roof on midsummer night. He who so lay and watched was permitted to see visions and hear sounds wliich would contain prophecies and warnings for his future. And if he took a basin of water and a towel, and placed them beside him on the roof, then he would surely behold his sweetheart, for she woiild come and — sensible girl — wash herself! In many districts in Sweden, it is the habit on midsum- mer' s night to go out into the woods, or the open country, to a place where three ways meet, and there listen and await what may take place. In this manner, the wise often gather material for many prophecies of the near future. Still other curious and interesting customs there be clus- tered about the summer solstice in the Northland; but, chief among them all, stands the May-pole and the dancing about it on the village green. One 24th of June, while I was resting on the banks of the River iitran after reeling in a salmon, my gaffer, Cai'l, told me there would be dancing round the May-pole that evening back in the country, and would I like to take a drive up-river and see it. This offered a i^leasant diversion from whipping the stream with a liy-rod, so at five o'clock we started off in a one-horse wagon Cail had picked up. The country grew more hilly and the hills better wooded as we got away from the bleak coast. The valleys, too, looked greener and more fertile. After driving ten miles, we turned squarely to the right, pitched down a hill, and crossed the River Atran. A triumphal arch of birch-boughs rose above the middle of the substantial iron bridge. A white pleasure-boat lay at anchor in the stream, flying the Swedish flag, her mast green with bii'ch-leaves. A large white church with a tall white tower sat half-way up the green hill-side beyond, and there were two or three red farm-houses, with low, unpainted, gray out-buildings in sight. And this was Wessige. It was no village, only the center of a rural MID8UMMEE. ■ 297 parish. Wagons were driving briskly about, full of lads and lassies. Green birch-boughs waved above the horses' heads, and stood uio all over their harnesses. Hay-racks filled with people were arriving. The racks were one mov- ing mass of birch-boughs, with here and there a girl's face peering out between the green leaves. Nearly all the girls wore a kerchief about their heads, showing they belonged to the peasant class. We drove into a farm-yard nearly full of teams, and as we alighted from onr wagon, heard, coming from somewhere out of sight, strains of music and the steady tramp of people dancing. Stepping through a gate-way into a field, we soon came to the brow of a hill, and looked down upon a pretty sight. A couple of hundred feet below us was a dark, moving mass of men and maidens. They were danc- ing upon a platform of boards, some forty or fifty feet square. Small birch-trees were placed all around the plat- form, and made a square green border to the dark, closely packed mass of the dancers. From the center, rose a lofty May-pole, at whose top fioated the yellow cross of Sweden. At the foot of the pole, in the midst of the moving throng, sat a fiddler and an accordion player, upon a little shelf breast-high, and they were playing a lively tune. The green hill-side, which sloped downward like an amphitheatre, was dotted with little groups of spectators. The bright costumes of the girls looked pretty against the greensward. The road curved down the hill like a yellow belt to the left. Beyond, stately trees marked the course of the river. To the right, a field of tall winter rye slowly waved in the southwest wind. All around rose wooded hills with rocky summits; between them, directly in front, a long, smooth, green valley stretched far away, with here and there a red farm-house with brown thatched roof and white chimney. A herd of cattle were slowly wending their way home from the distant meadows. The low sun with level rays brilliantly lighted up the evening picture, painting the cattle so red and the grass with living green. DANCING ROUND THE MAY-POLE. C298) MIDSUMMEE. 299 As I strolled down the sloi^e, a gentleman came up and introduced himself as Mr. W. Toshach. He had a large dairy-farm hard by, and another near Falkenberg, and was making butter for the English market. He had also a couple of handsome daughters, to whom he presented me, and I was soon dancing around the May-pole with one of them. The fiddle and accordion played a polka, but the dancing had much of the emphasis of the Swedish bonde x)olska, a marked and decided stamp on the first step of the three. The stamping and shuffling were so loud that when you got behind the music you could not hear a note, but you kept on dancing, stamping in time, and whirling round the silent half of the dance bana; and how pleased everybody was, when they again came within the rays of sound, to find they were in time with the music. But here how crowded it was. Every couple tried to whirl in as small circles as possible, so as to dwell within the musical rays. They packed together so closely that soon we could not turn at all; so, with slow progress, but with lively feet stamping- time, each man backed and drew his fair one after him till the lessening sound thinned the crowd, and we could whirl to the time of the general stamjoing till we swung around to the music and the pack again. Everybody was merry and jolly. The greatest good humor prevailed. The young men laughed at everything that Avas said, and the plump cheeks of the peasant girls were broadened with a perpetual smile. The contributions to the music were voluntary; twenty-five ore was received with thanks, and a crown called forth such a i^rofusion of bows and hand-shakings that I was convinced it Avas an unexpected largess. Everyone said it was ' ' such a good time." There did not seem to be anyone "running this show" in the American sense, or making any money out of it. It was a perfectly spontaneous merry-making and festival of the country-folk who had come together here from their solitary farms; a rejoicing for sun and light, the long, bright days and luminous nights, when there is ever (300) MIDSUMMEE. 301 a glow in the sky, and it is alwaj's liglit enough for you to distinguish the faces of your comrades. At near midniglit, I walked over the liill with the Toshachs, across tlie church -yard, wliere were three new-made graves, on wliich love had cast flowers, and down the slope beyond to the dairy farm-house looking down the i^retty valley of the Atran. Here, in a hall in the upper story, was spread a bountiful hot supper, which was served with genuine country hospitality. After supper, we all strolled back over the hill to the May-pole. At one o'clock, the night that had not been dark was brightening toward the dawn. I succeeded in getting Carl away from a tall, full Juno of a peasant girl "after just one more dance," and we left the revelers dancing and stamping as lively as ever. The old white-haired bonde, in whose barn our horse was stalled, came up and peered close into my face in the half light, and insisted on my going into the house and having a glass of dricka — home-brewed beer — with him, for the honor of America. Then we drove liome through the ghostly northern gloam- ing, neither day nor night, but a weird twilight known to no other clime, with sunset hues athwart the northern sky, and all space pervaded with a light that reveals the forms of things without bringing out their color, so that the waving rye was the same hue as the dusty road; and there were no shadows, for ghosts cast no shade. (302) CHAPTER XXYIII. THE KING AND HIS 31 EN. * I^HE last of Aiigust, 1884, found me in Stockholm. Here I met the King. Shortly after, at the bien- nial grand encampment of the soldiers of Sweden, '^^ I saw his men. My exj)erience in these two events was, like everything else in this Northern Wonder Land, quite different from similar experiences in other European countries; so differ- ent that, whenever I have told the story, my auditors have manifested an interest so far beyond what my powers as a raconteur would warrant, that I have been thereby en- couraged to seek the wider audience these pages afford. I was notified that I would be received by King Oscar, August 29th, at one p. m., at Drottningholm. This palace of grand size, massive, plain, rectangular, with simj^le roof, is as unlike our Queen Anne summer structures as possible. A very narrow arm of the Malar Lake makes Drottningholm an island; but there is nothing, not even the short bridge that spans the narrow separating sound, to give one the feeling of having left the main land. As our carriage drew up at the palace front, two guards under arms, one on each side of the carriage, and facing inward, make the prescribed salute. Ascending the lofty steps, we receive another similar salute at the top. At the outer door we were met by a civilian official of the palace, who, bowing low, escorted us to another, who, in his turn, took us through several lofty and spacious aj)artments to High Chamberlain Ribbing. The chamberlain then Jed us to the door of the audience chamber and held us a few * This chapter was -written, at my request, by my brother, General Henry Uoddard Thomas, United States Army. — The Author. (303) 304 SWEDEN AND THE SWEDES. moments in conversation. Tlien tlie door of the audience chamber opened as if of itself, Chamberlain Ribbing disap- peared with a polite bow, and we entered. A middle-aged gentleman, dressed in a double-breasted frock-coat of black diagonal cloth and pearl-gray trousers, with full beard and dark hair just beginning to turn gray, carrying liis six feet three inches with a grace and activity that, were he an utterly unknown man walking down Broadway, would cause many to turn and look after him, stepped forward and said, in perfect English, to my brother: "How are you, Mr. Thomas, and where have you passed the summer'^ ' ' This was King Oscar of Sweden. After a moment's con- versation, he turned to me and I was presented. I was, of course, being an officer of the United Statee Army, in full uniform, and mj^ brother remarked, evidently alluding to a former conversation on the same subject: "Though I do not wear a uniform myself. Your Majesty, I am hapijy to be able to bring you my brother who does. ' ' "Yes," said the King, smiling, "I am glad to see him and see him in uniform." Then, turning to me, he added: "When on state occasions 1 wear my uniform and decora- tions, and array myself with all possible dignity and care, to do honor to the representatives of other nations at my court, it seems a little odd that any of them should not be allowed to reciprocate the courtesy. I suppose I would receive your brother without any coat, if desired by your Government; but, at the same time, it would give me more pleasure were he able or allowed to appear in a costume in which I could distinguish him from a waiter when his back was turned." After a few moments' conversation, the King asked me if I was accredited to the Military Maneuvers, and, finding that I was not, he kindly invited me to attend them unoffi- cially as his guest. Shortly after, he asked my brother and myself to remain for lunch, courteously adding that he hardly knew other- wise how to arrange for my presentation to the Queen. He THE KING AND HIS MEN. 305 told US we would find Chamberlain Ribbing and the grand chamberlain of the Queen, Count Claes Cronstedt, in the next apartment, and that these gentlemen would show us about the palace until lunch, which would be served in half an hour. Lunch was laid in a sort of balcony, about forty- five feet long by twenty wide, enclosed top and sides, but open in front and looking out, under arches and over a short reach of perfectly adorned grounds, upon the beautiful Malar Lake. The table extended nearly the length of this ve- randa. At one end of it sat the King, with the Queen on his left, both looking do^vn the full length of the table. On the Queen's side sat successively, the Crown Prince, a maid of honor, myself. Count Cronstedt, Major Bergman, and below Mm soiae other members of the court. Along the other side, commencing next the King, sat in the order mentioned: First, a maid of honor, then Prince Eugen, my brother, Chamberlain Ribbing, Chamberlain Celsing, and others. Behind the Queen stood her "runner," with his imposing plumed cap. Behind the King stood his hunter, in his uniform of blue and silver. It is, for the most part, the custom in our country for military and naval officers to take off their swords before sitting down to dinner. It is not the custom in Sweden. My left hand, I fancy, as I was about sitting down, instinctively went to my sword-belt, as usual, to raise the upper ring of the sword off the swivel. The King, whose perceptive faculties work like lightning, said: "That's right, General; you may disarm." The royal couple led the conversation, addressing me principally, out of courtesy to the stranger. The Mormon question, dynamite plots, the Greeley relief expedition, the probable use of monitor-like vessels in future sea-warfare, the condition of the negro and his future, the character and bent of the American people, were the subjects brought up. There was not a word about the political complexion, or the presidential campaign then in its height. That quad- rennial upheaval did not ap];)ear to interest Their Majesties. When it dropped out that I had lived three weeks at Salt Lake in the family, or, more strictly speaking, one of the 20 (306) THE KING AND HIS MEN. 307 six families of Daniel H. Wells, Brigliam Young's senior councilor and Lieutenant- General of the Nauvoo Legion, Their Majesties, the Queen especially, became very much interested in the General, his six wives, and thirty-odd chil- dren, and the arrangement of the three houses in which they lived. The King remarked he should want a fourth house for himself; but the Queen suggested that comiaarative peace might be obtained for the husband by keeping the wives actively engaged quarreling with each other. The hot dishes were served on porcelain plates of rare beauty; the cold, on silver; for the fruit, we had gold knives. The dark bread, universal through Sweden, is found also on the King' s table. It appeared to-day in a tiny sandwich, that had white bread on one side and the black on the other. For drinkables, we had very much the same wines, with the different courses, that would have been found at a similar entertainment given at the White House; excepting, of course, in the memorable reign of President Hayes, at whose entertainments, to quote his venerable and facetious Secre- tary, "The water flowed like champagne." In addition, here as elsewhere in Sweden, was the most delicious beer I have ever drank, and the lightest. It is made after the "Pilsener" recipe; is almost the color of sauterne; ex- tremely delicate and appetizing, and retains its sparkle and beading like champagne. After lunch, the King took my brother one-side for a private interview, and the Queen graciously continued her conversation with me. In half an hour the King, Queen, and Princes withdrew, and soon after we took leave of the rest and passed around to the other side of the palace. Here, to our great surprise, the King came out of a basement door, having a young giant by the arm, whose six feet six towered above his father. This was Prince Carl. The King laughingly asked, as I was pre- sented, if we had bigger fellows than that in our army? He is a splendid looking Prince, erect and graceful not- withstanding his height, an eye like a hawk, and a soldier every inch of him. This last presentation over, we rattled briskly home. 308 SWEDEN AND THE SWEDES. THE SWEDISH MANEUVERS. Next day, August 30th, I left Stockholm, on the 6.1(.» p. m. train, for Malmo, to witness the Military Maneuvers. Malmo, a city of about 50, 000 inhabitants, the third in the kingdom, is on the southwest coast of Sweden and across the sound from Copenhagen, the caj)ital of Denmark. We had a sleejier on the train; a narrow passage-way ran the length of the car on one side; three little state-rooms, each holding two berths, and a wash-room, opened out of this passage. Thus the car, when full, held but six people. These sections or state-rooms were solidly partitioned off ; the berths were opposite each other and made seats by day, without alteration. We reached Malmo about 7.30 next morning, and, at the Hotel Kramer, I find a handsome apartment reserved for me by the King' s order. I had but just made my toilet and breakfasted when Major Malmborg, of the King's military household, and Lieutenant Ribbing of the horse guards, both on duty with ^^s, the visiting officers, called, and saw to it that I was served with everything needed or desired. This they did to all, calling upon us in the order of our rank. This duty being completed. Lieutenant Ribbing, taking the junior visiting officer, called on the next in rank. They in turn called upon the next; and so the procession swelled until the whole body of visitors called upon the senior. There were eleven of us in all. Italy sent Lieutenant-Col- onel Guerini and Lieutenant the Marquis of Spinola, son of the Italian Minister at Stockholm; Major Ceurvorst represented Belgium; and Colonel Sologoub, Russia; Lieutenant-Colonel Jensen, commandant of the fortress of Elsinore, on whose ramparts Hamlet saw his father' s ghost, has come up across the channel from Denmark; Lieuten- ant-Colonel Donop, Captain Appert, and Captain the Count du Moriez are sent by France. From Prussia came General von Hahnke and Major the Prince Salm; and the writer is here all the way from the United States. The Prussians had come in more state than the rest of us. An orderly, the perfection of soldierly appearance, had been sent with i. '"1^ <»• ■:'l .\\y ■1- . .'^V '.^^ilpk. 4* i m ft V* r .If "Ill ii i'li C309) 310 SWEDEN AND THE SWEDES. each. After the calls were over, we went to work actively to memorize our instructions and look up the mimic cam- paign with the military maps and plans furnished us. Our instructions and orders, both written and oral, throughout the maneuvers, were in French, and I here give, in a foot- note, some extracts from them necessary for the reader.* They are an exact translation from the original. At 1.45 p. M., we repaired to the palace of the Governor of the Province where, within a spacious hall, we were pre- sented to the King. The hall, except the space reserved, was packed to overflowing with towns-people. The King was in full dress, his breast blazing with orders. We all wore our side-arms, and, of course, removed our hats. Then came the dinner at four p. m., at the Hotel Kramer, an elegant afi'air, and, from the excellent quality of the wines, I strongly suspect they came from the King's cellar. At 6.30 p. M., as ordered, we take train for Skabersjo. Arrived * PK06HAMME: AUGUST 31 ST. At 1.45 P. M. Presentation to His Majesty the King. At 2,30 P. M. Take carriages to depot to witness tlie departure of His Majesty the King. At 4 p. M. Dinner at Hotel Kramer. At 6.30 p. M. Go to depot again to talie the cars to the station at Sliabersjo; thence by carriage to the chateau of Torup. All baggage to be given to hotel porter before p. M., who will atlend to its transportation from Malmo. It will also be taken to Tonip. SEPTEJIEEK 1st. Breakfast at 6.30 a. m. Horses will be mounted at 7.80 A. M. Eacli officer will mount the horse led by an orderly who will wear in his cap the name of the officer to whom he is attached. After the end of the day's maneuvers, the officers will return to Torup, give up tlieir horses, and leave in carriages, at an hour hereafter to be announced, to dine with His Majesty at Skabersjo. The 2d September same as the 1st. SEPTEIIBER 3d. CH.\NGE OF fJUAETERS. The visiting officers will be conducted to Widarp, where they will lodge until the end of the maneuvers. They will dine each day with His Majesty the King at Svenstorp. At the end of the maneuvers and on the return of the officers to Malmo, the same apartments at the Hotel Kramer are at their dispo- sition until their departure. Axel Ribbing, Lieutenant. Adolf Malmbokg, Major. THE KING AND HIS MEN. 311 there, we find carriages in waiting, and an hour's drive brought us to Torup, the estate of the rotund and genial Swedish nobleman. Covet, one of tlie King's chamberlains. The house, painted liglit yellow with wliite trimmings, is a very spacious affair. T]ie main body is rectangular, tlu"ee stories high, about eighty feet front by fifty deep. There is an open drive- way, fifteen feet wide through tlie center of the house, bisecting the hrst story. Staircases on each side lead to the apartments above. The great dining-hall, some thirty by fifty feet, opens from one side of this drive-way, and on the other are the kitchens, pantries, etc. On the second and third floors, a hall about ten feet wide divides the house lengthwise; and on either side of this hall-Avaj^ are chambers, all about twenty feet long and of various widths. The rooms as well as the houses in Sweden, so far as I observed, are larger than they would be with people of the same relative means in the United States; but are much less ostentatiously furnished. One could go about his chamber without encountering a lot of little articles, such as imitation banjos or tambourines; samples of old crockery tacked to the walls; shovels, with ribbons round their necks, waiting to be knocked down; little pliotograijhs and other pigmy productions of art standing unsteadily with one weak leg bracing them from behind; pillow-shams that take about as much time to fold carefully and put away as Avould suffice an active man for undressing; and all that class of trifling, useless, and annoying things that interfere so seriously mth a man' s comfort in the laud of the free. The ride had given us an appetite, despite our good din- ner, and when Chamberlain Coyet, about 10.30 p. m., threw open the big doors of the dining-hall, we were all glad to enter in, and did full justice to his ample supper. It was nearly midnight when our baggage arrived. After about an hour spent in separating it, and getting it to our rooms, Ave were all tired enough to go to bed. Next morning, September 1st, the second and final bell for breakfast rung with military promptness at 6.30 a. m., 312 SWEDEN AND THE SWJ:DES. the hour announced in orders; and with equal promptness, at that moment, buttoned to the chin, and with sword at side, I descended the broad staircase and entei'ed the dining- hall. I was mortified, however, to find every oflBcer, save myself, seated at table. Nor was my mortification less- ened, when all junior to me rose and remained standing until I was seated. After that, I repaired to the breakfast- room not long after the first warning, ready to take mj- seat simultaneously with the rest, the moment the second bell sounded. Throughont Europe, the attention to all these little details is very much greater than in our army. We mounted promptly at 7. 30 and were off withoiit an instant's delay, Major Malmborg leading. At this i^oint, I will explain the situation: Nine thousand nine hundred and twenty-eight Swedish soldiers took part in these maneuvers. This force was divided into two coi'ps, A and B. Corps B (the invaders) was commanded bj^ Q-eneral Cederstrom, and consisted of second and third infantry brigades, of four battalions each; one cavalry brigade, of eight squadrons; four batteries, and one provision and forage column. This corps is supposed to have effected a landing at Trelleborg, on the south coast of SAveden; and Corps A (a force collected to repel the invaders) is brought together at Eslof, about thirty English miles due north. Corps A is commanded by General Abe- liu and consists of the first infantry brigade, six battal- ions; two cavalry brigades, eight squadrons each, the first commanded by the Crown Prince; three batteries and a for- aging column. Before the maneuvers which we are about to witness began. Corps A (the defenders) have marched to Svedala, a small town some twenty miles south of Eslof and about ten miles north of Trelleborg. Corps B (the in- vaders) have pushed northward six miles into the country, occupied Ahlsta, a railroad station about five miles south of Svedala, and are ready to go to work. We visiting officers, meanwhile, are, at 7.30, stax'ting for this field of operations. We are six miles from one army and ten from the other, and have plenty of hard riding before us to-day. We start THE KING AND HIS MEN. 313 at a steady trot, over fields, through woods, and by farms rich with the harvest, halting occasionally for some expla- nation by Major Malmborg. We ride around the various detachments of Corps A as they advance to defend their soil. Then a sharp gallop and trot alternately, for our time is short and our road long, until we reach the invading army (Corps B). We make our longest halt to inspect the cavalry brigade of the Crown Prince. It is massed on a little hill; men dismounted and girths loosened. Mean- while, an infantry battalion, in heavy marching order, halts in the road below us, and a jolly lieutenant conies up to me and introduces himself; saying, in very fair English, that Count Rosen, of the King's chamberlains, is not the only official in Sweden Avith an American wife; that he followed the count's example very strictly, not only losing his heart to an American girl, but to a Philadelphian, exactly as the count had done; and that I should know my half-brothers among the officers of the Swedish army. This he follows with other pleasant chat. The lieutenant had almost dust enough on him to have performed the duties of his own intei'ment, and was as jolly as dusty. And now, about noon, here and there, miles apart, at Aggarp, BrannemoUa, and Svedala Station, the advance of the two armies meet, and sharp musketry skirmishes take place, and now and then a cannon booms. Corps A has, as evening comes on, the worst of it. At all events, it draws back to the position at Svedala it occupied this morning, bivouacking there for the night. At the commencement of this withdrawal, we pushed home to Torup — about four miles — where we rubbed off the stains of travel as best we might. In an incredibly short space of time. General von Hahnke and Prince Salm appeared in the open court in splendid military attire, their perfectly fitting and becom- ing uniforms looking as if worn for the first time; their lacquered, dainty riding-boots shining like mirrors; their swords brilliant with rubbings — all the work of the two trained orderlies sent with them from Berlin. Now the car- riages draw up and take us to the estate of Skabersjo to 314 SWEDEN AND THE SWEDES. diue with the King. We dine tliere in a long tent, circular at tire ends, made of blue and white striped canvas. Forty- two sit down to table to-night. The field-commissariat afforded sherry, Madeira, champagne, claret, and Rhine wine, and we had, in larger goblets, the Pilsener beer I have already described. The wine was right royal in quality; but how the solid parts of the dinner were served in such perfect condition, after being carried through the open air, was a mystery to me. Chamberlain Ribbing looked after this department, and, should Sweden go to Avar in the near future, 1 think she can count upon the officers, who visited the maneuvers of 1884, as allies, if they can be sure the chamberlain will be at the head of the commissary depart- ment. Two noble ladies were at table on the right and left of the King. Ox)posite the King, sat Chamberlain Ribbing. On Ids right and left. General von Hahnke and myself, and so on, a visiting and a Swedish officer alternately. It was almost dangerous to look up. If you did, some Swedish officer was sure to catch your eye, when, instanter, his face would break out all over into a smile of good-fel- lowshiiT and hosx^itality as he raised his glass with a flour- ish as vigorously suggestive as the smile. Then, saying " Skal " (about equivalent to our " How"), he would drain his glass to the very bottom; then, with another flourish which showed the glass was absolutely empty, he would set it down, still beaming on you. These descendants of the vikings are lusty fellows. A bottle of wine makes about as much impression on them as a quart of oats would on a ISTorman horse. They were three to our one, and without the slightest intention on their part that Ave should view the ground where we should shortly lie — viz., the gi'ound under the table— I felt it be- hooved me, for one, to avoid being the reci]jient of too much of their good comradeship at any one dinner. The King drank the health of every visiting officer that night, in every instance accompanied by a few compliment- ary sentences, and in the language of the officer — Russian with Colonel Sologoub, Danish with Jensen, English to me, THE KING AND HIS MEN. 315 and so on. In every instance, he seemed iDerfect master of the tongue. Nor did it in the least discommode him to change quickly from one language to another. He is recog- nized as the most consummate linguist on a tlirone. Dinner over, we strolled about the grounds, smoked, and listened to the music. The King talked in turn to everyone. About ten o'clock, he retired. Before the King withdrew, no guest could properly leave. On our return home, when passing under the center of the chateau. General von Halinke and myself, riding together, remarked simultaneously that we had not observed before that statue in the niche. Our sur- prise was increased when this robust statue raised one arm and gave us a military salute, and then ste^jped out of his niche. It was our facetious host. Chamberlain Coyet, who had attired himself in his court costume and had posed there at the sound of our returning wheels. A cold refec- tion, more bibulous solicitude as to each other' s health, and to bed. September 2d. Off again to-day at the same early hour. We bear for the field of operations at a steady trot. We find Corps A has faUen back north a little and holds a strong line, one and a half miles long, between Yddingen and Fjellfota lakes. Corps B is trying to maneuver them out of their position. For this i^ui'xjose, Corps B has thrown the larger part of its force west of Yddingen Lake, while the smaller threatens A' s right at Bokeberg' s Plain, Just east of the lake. Corps A acts as if it would give bat- tle there, instead of which it retreats some tAvo or three miles north, to Hyby, and commences fortifying; whereupon B follows up, spreading out its wings like a great bird, until the left wing flops over Torup. This faces the invading army east, instead of north as heretofore. Back goes A five good miles to Staflfanstorp, and the invaders march in and take possession of Hyby, just left by A. B's cavalry get in rear of A and do some spirited fight- ing dismounted. The scene is enchanting, with the rolling country rich with harvests; the farm-houses with their thatched roofs; the two beautiful lakes; the bodies of men 316 SWEDEN AND THE SWEDES. moving here and there; the white smoke curling up from the rattle of the musketry, and the booming of the cannon. We did some hard riding this morning. It was a warm, sunny day. I developed a tremendous thirst, and was roundly laughed at bj^ my com_rades for drawing rein at a farm-house and drinking nearly a quart of milk. In defense, among other things, I commented on their mis- fortune in having no such thirst to assuage, and said I wouldn't take one thousand crowns for my thirst. This joke, worn threadbare with us, was entirely new to them, and ' ' took ' ' immensely — so well that it was repeated to the King; for, at dinner, looking at my untouched wine-glasses, he said: "How is it. General, that after such a day I find your glasses all full? Don't you find my wines good? For my part, I find them very good. If the wine is good, I am not particular as to the food. Where is that noble thirst of which you were bragging this morningr' Then, with a slight, indefinable change of manner and posture, which makes a suggestion from royalty a command, he raised his glass, saying, " Your health." To this I responded, as all did when the King pledged the guest. Springing to my feet as alertly as I could with sword at side and chair to move back, militarily erect and heels togethei', I drank the King's health in cha.mxjagne, the king of wines. The ladies present, when similarly noticed, rose nearly erect and made a sort of courtesy. I told the King that he had something in common with the old Ken- tucky gentleman who reproved the young man who spoke of bad whisky, saying, ' ' Some whisky may be better than others, but none is bad." He said yes, he regarded wine very much as the old Kentucky gentleman did whisky. The King throughout the maneuvers wore the undress uniform of a general of his army, and this, as well as his manner, was an indication that he desired field customs and not court ceremony. Nothing seemed to escape him. I wore my military badges when presented to him at Drottningholm and at the THE KING AND HIS MEN. 317 formal presentation at Malino, but had not put them on for the dinner in the held. A military attacli'e told me the King had noticed their absence and inquired why I did not wear them. I explained that they were not decorations, and worn only on occasions of " ceremony and etiquette." ' ' But, ' ' said the attacJie, ' ' are they indications of actual war service*" I answered in the affirmative, and the subject dropped; but, later, he told me it was his impression the King would prefer me to wear them at dinner. This was, of course, practically a message from the King, and shows how closely he scrutinized every custom and difference in his visiting officers. On our return to Torup, Major Malm- borg gave the orders for the morrow in French, as follows: " Gentlemen, your trunks will be packed a little before nine a. m., that you majr descend and breakfast at nine pre- cisely. At 9.30 you will take carriages for the station at Skabersjci, where you will go by special train, via Malmo and Lund, to Widarp. The train will stop an hour at Lund, during which time you will be conducted to the cathedral and college." We found the cathedral immensely old in appearance, not having been burned down and rebuilt at a recent period, like the larger part of the old buildings one visits in Europe. Tradition tells us that the giant Finn built it. In cor- roboration thereof, there is the giant himself, in bas-relief, shinning up one of the columns in the immense crypt in the posture of a boy shinning a tree. Evidently, the gen- tleman is making his way to the first floor to see how his cathedral is getting on. This old university town claims the renowned Esias Tegner, author of "Frithiofs Saga," and his statue adorns the college campus. After doing the university and cathedral, we were driven to a nobleman' s residence famed, locally, for its gobelin tapestry. Its value, at one time, was so little understood that they used the room to pile grain in, without removing the tapestry, which was a good deal damaged. The train finally took us to Station Ortofta, and to our new quarters in the chateau of Widarp, 318 SWEDEN AND THE SWEDES. near by. Meantime, Corps A, as usual, lias withdrawn, this time northeast some seven or eight miles, to Harde- berga, and B, as usual, has followed up and bivouacs on the ground A occupied the night before, at Staffanstorp, and the neighboring hamlets. After dinner, the King invited General Bjornstjerna of his army, General von Hahnke, and myself to a little room upstairs. After lighting cigars and discussing the maneu- vers sufficiently, the King turned to me and said: ' ' We learn that the American people generally are great romancers, and the Rocky Mountains, where you have been stationed, is famed above the rest for its exaggerators; now, couldn't you sj)in us a Western yarn?"' I endeavored to do justice to the character he gave us, by telling him of a bear-hunt I had in Canada, when I came across a very old grizzly and fired all my ammunition into him. He was so old, and tough, and shaggy that the bullets wouldn't go through his hair, much less his hide. He then, after my ammunition was exhausted, chased me, in a pure spirit of cussedness, meaning eventually to catch and eat me, but to amuse him- self with my terror meanwhile. I ran about two days and nights, the bear following me, until I had passed through Dakota, Montana, and Wyoming, when I struck the great divide in Colorado. I then made for the western slope, which is better wooded than the eastern, and climbed a tree, which so enraged the bear that he staj^ed around the whole afternoon throwing stones at me and swearing at me by exploding a sound like "whoof," or "ooof," their only method of exhibiting a swearing mental condition. "Tell that to the marines, ' ' said the King. On my venturing to inquire where His Majesty acquired his idioms, he replied he had spent the summer in England in his yacht. September 4th. We mount and ride off at the usual hour, 7.30 a. m. Arrived on the field, we find the condition of things as follows: Corps A stands in position at Harde- berga, with one cavalry brigade three miles west, at Station Raby, and another three miles south by east, at Dalby. Corps B drew off near Lund, and then advanced over Raby THE KING AND HIS MEN. 319 and Vibyliolm against Corps A' s right flank, at Arendala, and there was a good spirited light for Hardeberga, resulting in its capture by Corps B. Corj)s A draws baclinortli some seven or eiglit miles, crosses the Kjeflinge stream, and takes np a new position again, its right flank resting on Ortofta and its left on Widarja, where we are now lodged. It is now' back within seven miles of Eslof, where it was first collected and marched against the invading foe. Between ten and eleven to-night, we visited one of the camps. Owing to some mistake, some delay, or some mishap, the meat of the ration for that day had but just arrived. It was about being put on the fire to commence cooking. The soldiers had nothing to eat, they told us, since early that morning. There Avas not a murmur, not a complaint, not a discontented look. I could not detect any of the signs of faintness, fatigue, or irritation, all naturally to be expected at such a condition of things. September 5th, the last day of the maneuvers, finds Corps B forcing the fords of the Kjeflinge at Ortofta, Widarp, and Gardstanga. They gain their point, forcing back the defending army, a part of whom mass in good position on a neighboring high hill. B" s cavalry gallop round behind them and take them in rear. Later on, B' s artillery gets across the stream, ascends the rolling hill on which we stand, and commences trying to shell them out of their position. This is the gala day. Carriages, with ladies, drive to the little eminence where we stand, but scatter when the bombarding commences. The grand stallmastare,Torner- hielm, despite his seventy-seven years, is on duty on horseback all day; the Minister of War, General Eyding, appears on our hill gallantly mounted on a handsome black, and exchanges a few pleasant words with the visiting offi- cers. Diplomat as well as soldier, he does not forget the fair occupants of the carriages. General Bjornstjerna, with compact and well-knit frame, ruddy face, and quick eye, car- rying his sixty-seven years like thirty-seven, comes galloping by. The royal party soon wheel up at a spanking trot; S20 SWEDEN AND THE SWEDES. Prince Eugen and liis military tutor are of tlie party. The young Prince needs no tutor in horsemanslii]3, at least. Al- though not yet an officer in the army, no man on the field has a i)rettier seat. Meantime, more of B' s artillery is brought uj), and pounds away at A on the hill heavier than ever. A' s resx^onses grow less and less vigorous. We visitors now watch the woods and hollows where B's infantry lie, to catch the first sight of them moving out, massing, and charging A's position; for this is the last and decisive battle of the mimic war. Out they come, massing in two bodies; with skirmishers thrown about them in front and both flanks, they advance, firing, to the hill. Meanwhile, the artillery thunders away, and the cavalry, dismounted, have got behind A and are keeping that body busy in the rear. It is too much for one young officer of the guards, who, with a small detachment, has been stationed as a safe- guard on a neighboring estate. He starts his men at a double-quick to join in the victory his corps has been marching and fighting for all the week. One of the judges descries him, however, from afar, bears down on him at a gallop, and marches him and his command ignominiously back to his post. And now the infantry of B have advanced well to the enemy's position. They halt a moment in the most shel- tered position attainable; then, through our glasses, we catch the glitter of the bayonets as they fix them to their muskets. Now they swarm up the hill, which grows black from base to crest as these human ants crawl up. It looks a snail's pace at the distance, notwithstanding they are springing up in double time; we catch, through our glasses, a moment- ary wavering, then on they go again until they can almost touch their foe, when the latter break, save themselves by flight, and the next moment they are routed, scattered, hopelessly broken, and defeated. And now we visitors ride to the next knoll, joining the King and swelling the royal staff; then to Igelosa church. Here the cavalry are reviewed by the King. The Hussar regiment, commanded by the Crown Prince, passes a second THE KING AND HIS MEN. 321 time in review at a gallop, then turning to the left, these guards, on their way off the field, take a very ugly ditch in hne style. Then we ride to the infantry of Corps B, near by, -where the King is received with the shout of " Lefve Konungen! Hurrah-rah-rah-rah!" cut sliort and crisp, and repeated four times. Here the corps is inspected and reviewed. Then we ride a couple of miles to Ortofta, where we galloi) around the troops of the vanquished Cori^s A. They give their sovereign the same four cheers, and are also in their tnrn inspected and march in review. Home to Widaip, and then to dine for the last time with tl\e King, and together. Nothing could exceed the kind, almost brother-in-arms, manner of the King toward all his guests tliis last evening. He asked me if I found his people kindly; and this exactly exi^resses the feeling with which the Swedes impress you in their own country. In this particular, as are the people so is the sovereign, and it was with thorough regret that we bade him good-bye and said adieu to the fine fellows that composed his military staff". In conclusion, without attempting a full description, I will mention one or two things which si^ecially imj)ressed me. One was the remarkable toughness of the men. Take the incident of the non-arrival of the ration until late at night. These men could not have breakfasted later than five A. M. Here they were fresh and strong at night after a fatiguing day without food. They really seemed to be perfectly able to undergo this fast without serious incon- venience. They received no regular noon meal, yet, after a day' s hard marching, in they always came fresh and con- tented. Had this usage exhausted them, they could not possibly have been so Jolly and good-humored. The offi- cers for the most part differ in appearance from the men — half a head taller, slenderer, lithe, darker, and different in feature; they look like a different race from the white- haired, thick-set soldiers. The horses impressed me just as the soldiers did — placid, unruffled, cajaable of enduring fatigue or deprivation to an 21 322 SWEDEN" AND THE SWEDES. extent that would use up a more nervo^is, high-strung animal. Suddenly taken from the shelter, grooming, higii- feeding, and light exercise of the barracks, they did not shrink, apparently, with the week's hard field-work. The last day of the maneuvers, the horses were fed at four a. m., and when, nine hours later, after constant riding and the din of cannon and roar of musketry in their ears, without feeding, they took their sliar]3 gallop around in the review I have mentioned, and then jumped a decidedly ugly ditch, not a horse looked worried, fatigued, sweaty, or blown; and this the sixth day of active maneuvers, with the journey to get there preceding it. These horses are very tine, hand- some, and well finished in aj^pearance. The Swedes get many of them from Germany, and pay a good price; about one-third more than we do in the States for our cavalry horses. The venerable stallmastare, all day on horseback, is another instance of strength among the officers. Their gen- erals are mostly elderly men, with the muscles, spiiits, and digestion of boys. During my entire stay, I heard no allusion that I can recall of anyone's ever waking next morning the worse from jollification the night before. I never heard, of a stomach or nerves. Yet they are most generous livers, eating and drinking much more than we. Is it the climate ? Is it their rye bread '. What is it 'l 1 think mostly climate. This national freedom from pain and irritability, mental or physical, makes them as sunny as their own long summer days. You are smiled at, bowed to, and your health drank at every opi^ortunity. Pleasant associations tend to friendships, and a strong- liking for each other was springing up inside our stiffly buttoned military coats. After we got home from dinner, we sat up into the small hours, reluctant to break up for the last time. Prince Salm (cousin of the Prince Salm- Salm on General Hooker's staff in our late ^vai') was one of the merry-makers. The way he could transform himself from a stiff' and immovable Prussian uhlan to a perfect broth of a boy was a marvel. His bubbling spirits and Irish temperament were in irrepressible conflict with his THE KING AND HIS MEN. 323 Prussian military training and soldierly instincts. We liad a German version of " Yankee Dudel," as they spelled it, published in Norway, and entitled " Nordamerikanische Volksliymne (Yankee Dudel)," von F. Schubert. It read: Der Yankee Bub ist nett unci schlauk, Unci nimmer all zu fett, Mann; Bei Spiel unci Tauz, bet Ball and Schwank, So munter wie ein Frett, Mann. CHORUS. Yankee Doodle, lialte Wacht, Yankee Doodle dandy; Fiirchte nicbt die drau 'ude Macht, Yankee Doodle dand}'. To this I had made the following translation: Tbe Yankee boy is trim and tall, And never overfat, sir; At play and frolic, hop or ball, As nimble as a. rat, sir. CHORUS. Yankee Doodle, guard your coast, Yankee Doodle dandy; And fear no foe, nor tlireat, nor boast, Yankee Doodle dandy. That last night every one of us had to tell a story, sing a song, or do the other thing; so the Prince arranged with me that he and I should take this "Yankee Dudel" as a duet, he singing German and I English, both standing in line, in ]30sition of a soldier, never cracking a smile nor moving a muscle, except of the mouth, and to continue to liowl the one verse over and over again until we were unanimously begged to desist. The result quite equaled our expecta- tions. Our first verse was received with loud applause, but after its fourth rendition the entire company threatened to fall upon and rend us unless we instantly desisted. At last "Good-night" and "Good-bye" were said. Would we ever meet again, we asked each others Tliis none could tell; but I am sure all could tell of a sincere regret that, after this week, of pleasant comradeship, each should wander alone to his end of the earth. 324 SWEDEN AND THE SWEDES. And now, good reader, a word before my good-bye to you. I have never read an account of Military Maneuvers that gave me what I wanted. They have all been tabulated aggre- gates, maps, plans, and dry official reports on calibers of arms, etc. , and after I had finished the perusal, I felt I had as little vital idea of how the whole thing seemed to the man who assisted at it as the sight of a corpse would give me of the man when alive. I have here set down just the sort of things I always wanted to know when I was the reader. I have mixed the trivial, and personal, and sport- ive with the official and serious, just about in the projjor- tion it entered into our lives, and have put my statistics as Timothy Dexter did his punctuation points, all together in a spot specially reserved for the purpose. Whether I have done well or ill to depart from the established method, the reader must decide. STATISTICS OF THE SWEDISH ARMY (PEACE-FOOTING). Generals of the line 9 General staff ,38 Artillery, three regiments of ten batteries each, two other batteries, and seven fort companies 4,288 Cavalry, eight regiments, forty-seven sc^uadrons 5,030 Infantry, fifty-three battalions 27, TT."} Two engineer battalions 962 Two train battalions 61(5 Total 38,718 Of this force, 8,869 are in constant service. The rest are called "indelta," also enlisted, but chiefly paid by free rent of farms. They are called out every year from six to eight weeks, and are in regular camps of instruction foi' that period. There is a third body, called the Allmanna bevaringen, which we may term "reserves." With these, the Swed- ish army can be brought up at once to a war-footing of 179,000 men. This reserve is composed of every man capa- ble of bearing arms, from twenty-one to thirty-two years old, inclusive. The first half of this period, they belong to the army reserve; then, between the ages of twenty-seven and thirty-two, inclusive, they belong to the second class THE KING AND HIS MEW. 325 of reserves, or "landstormen," and are drawn upon after the first class is exhausted. These receive six weeks in- struction in camp, tlie first two of their twelve years of enrollment. They are all well armed and equipped, under excellent discipline, and seemed to me fairly well drilled. Of their marksmanship, I know nothing. The difference between the "regulars," who serve steadily, and the others is very marked, as it naturally would be. CHAPTER XXIX. THE REP on TEH. ^ WONDER if we have rejjorters in America ? What a question ! Are not our reporters tlie best and most indefatigable in the world 'I and is not interviewing an ^ American fine art 7xrr ftrf'eZ/c^«/Y^^ But I do not mean the reporting homo; it is the reporting canis I am wonder- ing about. Do we have reporting dogs in America^ If so, I have not seen them, neither have I heard of them. Our stories about pointing dogs revolve about "the point," and of the dog's sticking to it like grim death. "He's so steadj^ on a point that you can't kiclv him forward onto the bird," says the dog-trainer, in highest praise of the brute he is trying to sell. And we all recollect the stoiy of the crack Western dog that was lost at the close of a day's shooting. Search was made next morning, and the dog was found in the brush, close to where he was missed the night before, and still jjointing the game he had come upon as darkness overtook him. So I doubt if we have "the reporter" in the land of the free, and perhaps a report about the "reporter" as I found and interviewed him in Sweden may not be uninteresting to American readers. I was out partridge-shooting one day at Oscarstrom. Joseph was still with me as guide and bearer of cartridges and game, and I was sliooting over an old German pointer a friend had loaned me, so that I could give my own dog a rest. We had enjoj^ed a fairly good day's sport, and toward evening were returning down tlie valley of the River Nissa toward our comfortable headquarters. We were tired; the shooting was over, and our dog was allowed to roam at will. As we sauntered along, I saw old Lila make her appearance over the top of a distant heathery ridge. (327) 328 SWEDEN AND THE SWEDES. She looked up and down over the valley, and as soon as she caught sight of Joseph and me, came toward us in a straight line on a brisk gallop, wagging her tail in a joyful sort of way. Coming in, she raised a forepaw, placed it on my leg, looked up in my face, wagged her tail briskly, turned about, took a dozen leaps back in the track she had come, then looked around at me and Avagged her tail again. ' ' Well, what does all this mean % " ' asked I. "Oh! Lila has got a covey of partridges over the hill yonder, and has come in with the report," answered Joseph. • • Xonsense ! ' ' But Lila rushed on a dozen steps more, looked back, and seeing I did not follow her, came in, put up her paw, and again went through all her motions. •'Well, old girl, lead on!" I said, at last; "we'll follow and see what you've got, at all events." So over the hill we went — Lila leading, and ever and anon looking back — doAvn across a valley, then straight up the farther hill-side, where she came to a point at a bunch of bushes. Before I got within shot, the partridges began to Avhir up; at least a dozen flew, but old Lila stuck now to her point, and on my reaching her side, the last bird of the covey rose, which I knocked over and Lila retrieved. We now hunted along the bosky hill-side, and Lila pointed and I shot six more of this covey, bringing up my bag for the day to nineteen partridges and a hare. ' ' You didn' t know Lila was a reporter l ' ' quoth Jose^^h. " ISTo, I did not know before this day that there was such a dog in the world. " ' Since then, I have made the matter of the ' ' reporting dog ' ' the study of some leisure hours. He occurs most often among German pointers, or in crosses between the German and English; but, even among them, not more than one trained dog in twenty will report. The trait is rare among English full-bloods, though I have seen some excellent reporters of this strain. There are also a number of good reporting setters in Sweden, and I am assui'ed that a well- known Swedish sportsman once trained a brace of Gordon C 33B ) 330 SWEDEN AND THE SWEDES. setters so admirably that, Avlien tliey found game, one dog stood firm on a 2:)oint while the other came in and reported. It is asserted that a dog can not be trained to report. The reporter, like the i)oet, must be born, not made. I, however, am inclined to think that any dog that "rings" game, or from any cause breaks his point to take up another, may be trained to rei^ort by whistling him in whenever he comes to a point, and then advancing with him to the quarry. Rei^orters have difl'erent ways of imparting their information; not every dog is so clear as old Lila. Some come back only till they make themselves seen, then return directly to the game; others hop up on a hillock or stone, and jump and wag their tails till you ajjproach. But to report game in any manner evinces, surely, a much higher degree of intelligence than to stand immovably on a point whether the sportsman is in sight or not. And this intelligence is appreciated in Sweden; a reporter readily selling for one-third more than an eqxially good dog without this faculty. As the next shooting-season approached, I looked about for a reporter, and at last bought a large, powerful pointei-, a cross between the German and English. The German dog- is exceedingly kind, faithful, and obedient, but too heavy and slow. The English pointer, with all his good qualities, is apt to be too hot and headstrong. The half-breed is best for Swedish shooting, and, I believe, admirably adapted for America. During the earlier part of the season. I went often afield with Nero, and good s^Jort we had; Ijut as I always kept well up with him, never saw him report, and had half -for- gotten that he possessed the accomplishment. One day, my boot hurt me, and leaning my gun against a fence, I sat down, took off mj^ boot, pulled off my stocking, and made a general readjustment. As I was lacing up, in came Nero over a rise of the field, and looking ixp at me, turned about and came to a half-point, then looking up once more, shot along the track whence he came. Following over the hill, 1 came in view of the blue waters of Lake Nafden. Nero THE REPOETER. 331 was still rushing on in a straight line over the lield. When he readied the lake shore, he came to a point at a tuft of drj' rushes; but it was an easy kind of a point. Everj^ few moments he looked back at me, and expressed liis satis- faction at my approach with one wag of the tail, whicli instantly stiffened into business again. Reaching his side, a little flock of seven partridges hustled up, and I had tlie pleasure of dropping a couple, and Nero the satisfaction of retrieving them. Since then, I have let Nero hunt as far and wide as he pleases, confident that he will come in and report all game he finds out of my sight. I frequently whistle him in when he points at a distance, and then ad- vance over the fields side by side with him. Sometimes, when Nero points afar off, and is sure that I see him, he will lie down, either for the sake of a rest or not to scare the birds, rising on his forepaws and now and then looking back rex:)roachfully at me if I make any unreasonable delay. One day, he came to a point far away over a vast plowed field. Looking around, and making sure that I saw him, he backed in his tracks a dozen steps, and then disappeared from view as absolutely as if the black field had swallowed up his white bod}^. We kept on toward the spot where he was last seen, and after a quarter of an hour's plodding over the soft upturned earth. Master Nero arose out of a dry ditch just in front of us and quietly resumed his point. Coming wp with the dog, two great coveys of partridges arose; my friend made a right and left shot out of the flock to the right, and I took a bird with each barrel out of the left covey. The trait of reporting causes a dog to be freer and easier on his point; he is less like a cast-iron statue, more like a reasoning being. As Nero and I advance on a running covey, he lifts his ears, looks u]) at me, and takes in the situation ' ' like a little man, ' ' pointing now here, now there, and ringing the game in between us if necessary. Frequently, when Nero makes game, I hide, to see him go through his motions. Cautiously moving on, he grad- ually stiffens into a solid point, then looks around, first one 332 SWEDEN AND THE SWEDES. I'll go hunt Mm up, for it Such a dog is more side, then the other. No master in sight. Then he slowly backs out of his point, step by step, a dozen steps or so; next he turns round as slyly as a snake, then sneaks away, and in another moment is in a full gallop toward where he last saw me. I ahvays meet him with a, pat on the head and a "Bravo, Nero!" He really seems to go through a chain of reasoning something like this: "Here is game, bat where is my master 1 Of myself, I can do nothing. Here's for it takes both of us to do the shooting than a servant; he is your comrade and friend, your foster- brother of the chase. It seems to me that the advantage of a reporter to American sportsmen is at once apparent, whether it be on the wide prairies of the West, in the hill country of the East, or in the dense woodcock coverts of New England. What a comfort and luxury to have a dog who Avill come in and report game, and then lead you quietly to it ! How many forced marches in the alder-swamj)s one might save, and how lazily he could saunter along the ridges, leisurely waiting for the report of his faithful four-footed friend ! Americans are never satisfied Avith anything short of the best. If we have not the reporter in America, we have not the best possible pointing dog. Is not the subject worthy the attention of our dog- breeders and dog-lovers ? Why not import reporters from Sweden % Or why not develop and perfect the reporting instinct whenever it manifests itself among our own dogs % Of one thing I am sure, the American sportsman who has once shot over a reporter has experienced a new joy, and tins joy he will ever keep, if he can, among the many pleasures which give zest to the life of him who lores the open air, the woodlands, and the fields. CHAPTER XXX, OA PER CA ILZIE A ND B L A CE G A ME. 4^P|jN"E day in August, I Avas shooting on the grand JiKllJI heather-covered rock hills of the west coast of ^wyjj Sweden, when Nero appeared on top of a crest, and 'vjv came running in to me in a most frisky manner. He jumx^ed up to my face, capered about, flung himself into the air, and behaved most hilariously. I had become intimately acquainted Avith Nero by this time, and could easily tell from his manner of reporting whether he had found partridges, black game, or wood- cock. But this was an entirely new kind of a report; the dog seemed to say: "Oh, what a great, big, jolly thing I've found for you; something brand-new. You can't guess what it is; but come along, I'll show you. Such fun we'll have ! " So I followed on. After some ten minutes' walk over heathery ridges, Nero entered a swale where a few scrub- pines grew, advanced at a cautious walk, and came to an undecided point. As soon as I reached his side, he ad- vanced again, step by step, then pointed, then again advanced. I saw, of course, that the game, whatever it might be, was running, and would probably rise wild. I therefore hurried to higher ground some twenty yards to the right of Nero, and walked along parallel with him, and about half a gunshot ahead. Soon Nero came to a dead point, and at the same instant there rose from under the last scrub-pine an enormous dingy-black bird. From my elevated position, at one side of the pine-tree, it was an easy shot. At the report, the great bird fell in a confused heap into the heather, while a cloud of black feathers filled the air, and drifted slowly away before the summer breeze. ( 333 ) 334 SWEDEN AND THE SWEDES. Nero came in and sat down at n)y side, his jaws opened into abroad grin of ''I told you so." I crammed a fresli cartridge into my gun, patted Nero. "Well done, old boy ! So ! so ! Now, apporte .' " At the word he dashed on, picked up the bird by one wing, lugged in the heavy burden through thick heather as high as himself, and sat down on his haunches before me. "' LdcJieP' and Nero gave into my hand my first capercailzie, a huge old cock of good ten pounds' weight, as big as a turkey. He was surely too heavy to carry around on a day's shooting, so, after duly admiring him, I hung him up on one of the pine- trees, and Nero and I went on our way rejoicing. It was a perfect summer's day; a clear sky arched over- head, and a gentle west wind just stirred the air. Perfect silence reigned, broken only by the faint rumble of a distant train speeding along the valley far beneath, and soon vanishing, leaving only a dissolving trail of smoke behind, and silence even more intense than before. From the green valley rose the tall white tower of Lena kyrka, resplendent in the sunlight. As far as you could see stretched smooth cultivated fields. Here and there a red cottage peered out from its grove of bright-green birches, and showed where the higliAvay wound along the vale. Far above, on rockj^ heights that rose almost to the dignity of mountains, Nero and I, in good comradeship, followed the chase. Pushing through a thick grove of spruce-trees, I heard the sound of wings behind me, and knew that some bird must have hidden till I had passed, and then flown back in the direction whence I came. I whistle in Nero, wdio makes a faint stand at the spot where the bird had concealed itself, point out to him the direction in wliich it must liave flown, and back we himt along the ridge. We walked on more than a mile, and I was beginning to doubt the evidence of my ears — or, rather, the conclusions I had drawn therefrom — when Nero stood at the edge of a swampy hollow. He waited for me to come uj^, and then we proceeded cautiously among the hillocks of the swamp, CAPERCAILZIE AND BLACK GAME. 335 Nero pausing and coming to an nncertain point every few paces. At last, a great ruddy-brown bird bustles into air with a noise that, in the utter stillness of that August noon, sounded like the roar of thunder, and caused my heart to leap to my mouth. I shot wide of the mark, but steadied myself, pressed my heart and nerves back into place, and brought down the bird, killed clean at long range, with my left barrel. It was a hen capercailzie. Of different color and much smaller than the cock, still a grand bird of six pounds' weight. This was great good-luck — two capercailzie in one morn- ing, both over a dog in the open; for the capercailzie is preeminently a bird of the forest, and here he has the same trick that our American ruffed grouse plays so adroitly. He skulks along in advance of the dog until he reaches a thick clump of trees, when away he whirs from the farther side, where it is impossible for the sportsman to catch the slightest glimpse of him. But with a cautious, steady, intelligent dog, one may get the better of both the ruffed grouse and the capercailzie. Like our grouse, too, the capercailzie can be ' ' treed ' ' by a yeli^ing cui', and is often shot while thus sitting in a tree, by the country-folk. This is hardly sportsmanlike, but it is chivalry itself compared with another method. In the glorious May mornings of the Northland, the lordly capercailzie summons the dames of his harem around him. Perched on some lofty pine of the forest, at the first blush of dawn he sounds his love-call. His song is short, but often repeated, and as the impassioned bird pours forth his last sighing notes, he is transported with such ecstasy that he neither sees nor hears. This is the pot- hunter's opportunity. Creeping on a few steps at the close of the capercailzie's song, and hiding the instant it ceases, he steals within easy shot, and, crouching behind some convenient tree, waits till the noble bird is again lost in the rapture of song, and then deliberately "pots" him. (336) CAPERCAILZIE AND BLACK GAME. 337 The Swedish law establishing a close time for capercail- zie from the middle of February to the middle of August has now made this sneak-shooting illegal, although it is still resorted to by poachers in remote districts. I was surprised to learn that this unchivaliic method of shooting the cax)ercailzie is practiced in Austria by the landed gentry, who own great wooded estates, and call themselves sportsmen. One might as well shoot a ruffed grouse while drumming in the spring, and call it sport. But perhaps it is the novelty of being up and out in the freshness of early dawn that astonishes and ca]3tivates these gentlemen. The capercailzie is also pursued in Sweden amid the snows of winter, by hunters who swiftly slide through the aisles of the forest on skidor. The male birds gather together in large packs in the winter — perhaps a hundred in a pack — and the large black fowl make conspicuous objects sitting on the trees white with snow. They are very wary, however, and difficult of aj)proach, and must be shot with rifle and bullet, frequently at long range. This shooting can be called sport. It requires a high degree of skill, both with rifle and skidor. But to return to our own shooting. After picking up my second capercailzie, I saw a peasant clambering briskly up the hill-side toward me. To my surprise, he addressed me in English. Yes, he had been in America seven j'"ears. He had heard I was out on the Lena hills, and had left his Avork and come up to talk English with me. It was so pleasant to talk English, and he liked America so much, too. Why did he not go back % Why, he always meant to, and he only came home for a little visit; but then he met a girl here, and married her, and that was the end of his traveling. And had I shot a tjaderf Well, that was luck. Americans were all such good shots. What, another one ! Come, now, he would take this one, and go find the other in the tree, and carry them both down to his house on the road, and I could call for them when I drove by in the evening; and the obliging fellow was as good as his word. 22 338 SWEDEN AND THE SWEDES. Far away over the hills, down in the bottom of a rocky gorge, where the tall ferns grew np and waved above the heather, Nero came to a firm j)oint. I hurried down from the ridge; wp whirred a black cock, and down he tumbled. "Apjyoiie, Nero ! " But the dog would not budge an inch. He gave me a sly, deprecatory look, turned his head slowly half-round, and pointed across the valley. I took one step beside him, when up sprung a brace of black game from under his very nose, and I shot them, right and left, before they could rise over the cliif wall. At the report, a fourth bird rises and flies chattering away from my empty barrels. On for half an hour, when, coming to a crest of the hills, I looked down upon a beautiful lake glistening far below me. At the same time I hear ' ' Poo ! poo ! poo ! ' ' This is the Swedish halloo, and the pooing was from my friends who had come out to meet me. I soon saw them, far down the mountain-side, and hurried on to join them; but, when very near, Nero came to a point between us. "Move to the left there, and look sharp," I cried; "here are birds." Up got three ])lack cock . But three sportsmen standing facing each other were too many; we made a mess of it, and, although all fired, only one bird dropped, proving again the old rule I always insist upon, ' ' The more sportsmen, the less game." Here were Mr. Fred. W. Stoddard and Mr. Oscar Lind- berg. Mr. Stoddard enjoys the peculiar distinction of being a Swedish-American-Scotchman, for he has good claim to all three nationalities, and Mr. Lindberg is a Swedish- American,»and so old a friend that we had hunted together in the backwoods of Maine twenty years ago. We had driven out together in the morning, separated, hunted along different routes, and met now, according to agreement, for lunch at the cottage of Ekenas. My friends had each bagged a brace of black game, while a grand cock capercailzie, the brother of mine, dangled down Oscar' s back. But first I must have a plunge in the lake. The water was deex) close in to the shore, so I dived in. I had not taken half a dozen strokes, when I felt pulsations of water CAPEKCAILZIE AND BLACK GAME. 339 on my back as though swift fish were swimming close by. I swam on more rapidly, to get out of their way, when I was struck two sharp blows from behind. Great Scott ! are there sea-monsters in this mountain lake % I turn hurriedly round; there was Nero close after me. Faithful dog, he had evidently swum out to save me from drowning. I yell at him, splash water in liis face, and heap upon him the most opprobrious epithets, before I can compel him to leave me and swim back to the shore, where he sat, a dripping monu- ment of misery and despair, till I emerged from the water. My comrades had borrowed a table from the cottage, and spread the lunch upon it, in the great open door-way on the shady side of the barn. Heavens ! how good that lunch tasted ! The mountain air, the long tramp on the heathery hills, the plunge in the lake, all contributed to give our fare the best sauce this world has known from Adam's time to ours. And then the blissful siesta afterward, as we lay back on the hay and talked over the fortunes of the morning. It was late in the afternoon when we were once more on the march. Now we would hunt uj) the two black game we missed. My friends Avent in search of the bird that fiew to the light, while I toiled up-hill after the one that disappeared over the mountain. Half-way up the hill-side, I stopped to rest, and, turning round, witnessed a pretty sight. Far below me, in a little inclosed field, Walli was making game; Oscar was close behind, encouraging his young pointer to advance. A gunshot ahead, at the corner of the fence, stood Stoddard, gun all ready, eager, watchful. A moment more, and I see the bird rise from under Walli' s nose and fly straight for Stoddard's head. He allows the cock to l)ass, then a puff of smoke, the bird drops, and Walli starts to retrieve before the laggard report breaks upon my ear. Gaining the top of the hill, Nero found the bird we were in search of, and I had just time for a snap-shot as it dis- appeared over the crest. I send Nero on at a venture into the valley beyond; but, a moment afterward, his head pops up over the steep cliff-edge, with the black bird in his red jaws. 340 SWEDEN AND THE SWEDES. We found no more game that day, but we were well con- tent as it was. Three caj)ercailzie and ten black game, over fifty pounds weight, we packed into the dog-cart; and, with our pointers nestling in the warm hay behind us, drove swiftly over the ten miles home. Oscar and I stopped at his comfortable farm-house, Lindas. Here we quickly exchanged our shooting-jackets for dress-coats and white ties, and drove on to Bryngelsnas, the charming and hospitable estate of Mr. Stoddard; and most pleasantly wound up the day at a grand dinner-party given in our honor, by our genial comrade-in-arms. On this day, as on many another, both afield and at home, the thought has occurred to me — "Why not introduce the capercailzie and black game into the United States?" Of all the birds of the Old World, I do not know of any whose acclimatization among us could be so easily accom- plished, or would i:)rove so beneficial. The capercailzie — Tetrao tirogallus — is the largest and noblest of the grouse family, the family to which our pin- nated grouse (prairie chicken) and ruffed grouse (partridge or pheasant) belong. The full-grown cock capercailzie weighs from ten to twelve pounds, and some specimens considerably exceed this weight. These birds, in fact, approach very nearly the size of the wild turkey of America. The home of the capercailzie extends over a wide range of latitude and temperature in two continents. From tlie wooded mountainous regions of Northern Spain and Greece, northward throughout Europe, this bird is found in most of the lofty forest districts suitable for his abode, and where he has not been exterminated by man. This grouse fairly abounds in the great pine and spruce forests of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Finland, and Russia, and the vast forest stretches of Northern Asia. The capercailzie is an extremely hardy bird. In Sweden and Norway, he is found in large numbers uj) to, and beyond, the Arctic Circle, as far as the seventieth parallel of North latitude. He can endure the severest cold and deepest CAPERCAILZIE AND BLACK GAME. 341 snows of the longest winters. He often avoids the bitterest weather by burrowing into the snow, thus obtaining warmth and shelter. This bird subsists on the coarsest and most common food. He feeds upon the buds and leaves of trees, the needles or leaves of the pine and spruce, young pine- cones, clover and grass, berries of all sorts, seed and grain, and insects of every kind. In the depth of winter, a caper- cailzie has been known to live for more than a week in the si.me pine-tree, subsisting entirely upon pine-leaves and young pine-cones. The capercailzie is preeminently a bird of the pine- woods, or pine mixed with birch, spruce, maple, and other growths. He loves wooded hill-sides better than wooded plains, and he must have fresh water near by, either a brook, or pond, or a piece of swampy ground. He is a local, not a migratory, bird, though sometimes lack of food, or other causes, may drive him to extensive wanderings. In his habits, he much resembles our American ruffed grouse — though he is nearly ten times as large — and I be- lieve will thrive anywhere in the United States, where our ruffed grouse (called partridge in New England, and pheas- ant in the Middle States) is found. The black game — Tetrao tetrix — inhabits nearly the same regions as the capercailzie. He is equally hardy, and can withstand the cold and snows of the most rigorous northern winters. His weight is about three pounds, nearly the same as our prairie chicken. The male bird is a lustrous metallic black in color. Hence the name. He has, however, a white stripe in his wings, and is easily distinguished by his beau- tiful, jet-black, outward-curving tail-feathers. The female is somewhat smaller, and her plumage is a speckled gray. She is called in England " the gray hen." The black game is also a grouse, and is often found in company with the capercailzie, or, at least, in close prox- imity. The black game is also a bird of the woods, but the 342 SWEDEN AND THE SWEDES. birch, is distinctively his tree, though he is met with in mixed growths of almost every variety. He does not frequent the deep woods so much as the capercailzie. He loves better the borders of the forest, and woods, and groves, with frequent openings. He is also fond of cranberry swamps, and in swampy lands is often found miles away from any forest. He is a more social bird than the capercailzie, and comes out more into the fields and clearings, and nearer the abodes of man. His food is much the same as the capercailzie, though not quite so coarse. It consists chiefly of the buds and leaves of trees, berries, and insects. In summer, the black game is very fond of blueberries, raspberries, and cranber- ries. In winter, he feeds principally upon the buds of the birch, hazel, alder, willow, and beech; and, when pressed for food, will eat the young green cones of the pine. This bird seems to be equally fond of animal food, and readily eats snails, worms, the larvae of ants, flies, beetles, etc.* The cai^ercailzie and black game are the two most important wild birds in Sweden and Norway, and make a valuable addition to the food of the Scandinavian people. These birds are excellent upon the table, their flesh resem- bling that of our prairie chickens. Throughout the fall and most of the Avinter, you may see the capercailzie and black game hanging up in large bunches, or lying heaped in great piles, along the market-places of Stockholm; scattered about as profusely as wild ducks in the markets of Chicago or Minneapolis in the month of October. WUl the capercailzie and black game thrive in the United States ? On this question, I think there can be no reasonable doubt. The fact is that a great portion of the United States — at least one-third, perhaps one-half — is fltted to be the home of these valuable birds. For there is a suitable * For a fuller description of the capercailzie and black game, I would refer the reader to the excellent work of A. E. Brehm on "Bird Life," to which I am indebted, not only for many of the facts of this chapter, but also for the artistic engraving of the capercailzie as well as those of the partridge, wood- cock, goose, and eider, given in other portions of this book. CAPERCAILZIE AND BLACK GAME. 343 climate, a suitable broken country of hill and dale, well watered and covered with a suitable forest-growth, and this forest-growth, together with its underbrush and bushes, will not only provide shelter for these birds, but will fur- nish them with all the food they require, until they become as plenty as European sparrows now are in our streets and public parks. It is my firm conviction that both the capercailzie and black game will thrive throughout all the wooded THE BLACK COCK. districts of New England, New York, and Pennsylvania, and westward through the greater portion of the States of Michigan, Wisconsin, and Minnesota. They will also find a congenial home along the wooded slopes of the Rocky Mountains for their entire length, as well as in all the wooded ravines and declivities of the mountain ranges of California, Oregon, and Washington. And not only here. The fact that these birds are found among the hills and mountains of Europe, as far south as 344 SWEDEN AND THE SWEDES. Greece, Italy, and Spain, renders it almost certain that they will iind a congenial climate and nature throughout the entire ranges of the Alleghanies, the Blue Ridge, and the Cumberland Mountains, together with their sj)urs, side-hills, and outlying forest districts, and may thus easily be accli- mated over large sections of the States of Virginia, West Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and Alabama. How can these birds be introduced among us ? The easi- est and cheapest way would be by obtaining their eggs, sending them to America, and having them hatched out there. I am sorry that I can not recommend this course. Eggs have repeatedly been sent to Germany and Great Britain, but every such attempt has turned out a complete failure. The only other method is to procure and ship adult birds. This has also been tried, and the results are such as to give us great encouragement. The capercailzie was originally found in Scotland. His great size and fine flesh caused him to be keenly hunted, and some generations ago he was utterly extenuinated. About fifty years since, some fifty capercailzie, adult birds, were shipped from Sweden across the North Sea to Scotland. They arrived safely, were liberated in a suitable locality, and lived and increased. Their descendants are living and increasing to this day, and the capercailzie is again added to the food-birds of Scotland. I find there have been several shipments of both caper- cailzie and black game, of late years, from Sweden to various parts of Germany, Austria, and Hungary — to localities where these birds had been shot out, or where they had never existed. In all the instances, where proper care has been exer- cised, most of the birds have arrived in good condition, have taken kindly to their new homes, and are breeding well there. A few years ago, a considerable shipment of black game was made from Sweden to Southern Austria, near the Italian boundary; and, notwithstanding the birds were ten days CAPERCAILZIE AND BLACK GAMK. 345 upon the road and that there were many changes of trains, they all arrived sound and well, not a bird dying on the j)assage. There are now steamers fiom Gothenburg, Sweden, with transhipment at Hull, England, also direct boats from Copenhagen, just across the sound in Denmark, to New York and Boston. The passage, in the summer- time, occupies some twelve or thirteen days. Surely the fatigue and hardship of this passage would be less than ten days in freight-cars. Neither will the salt air have any bad effect upon the birds. Both species love to inhabit the wooded islands along the coast, and fly readily from one to the other across great reaches of water. * I find the birds recently shipped to Germany have cost twelve dollars each for capercailzie and seven dollars for black game. These prices seemed to me high. I learn, how- ever, that many of the birds are injured in snaring and many more die after a few days' confinement. Birds suitable for export, and for which the above prices are asked, are all strong and full-grown, without injury or blemish. They are kept for a considerable time in captivity, and are, in fact, nearly half-domesticated before they are considered suitable to ship on a long voyage. So these prices may, perhaps, be only a fair compensation for labor, and time, and the inevitable large mortality among the birds during the earlier part of their captivity. I believe at least one hundred birds of each species should be shipped to give the experiment a fair trial. This will make the cost: 100 capercailzie, at $12 $1,200 100 black game, at $7 "00 Total $1 .aOO The birds must be placed in roomy coops of the best construction, and not crowded. They must have a light and airy position on shipboard, and someone should be sent to take charge of them, or some sailor or steward on board * Since this chapter was written, I am informed that black game have been introduced into Newfoundland, and are doing well there. 346 SWEDEN AND THE SWEDES. must be specially instructed, so as to properly feed and care for them. The expense of building the coops, of freight, and of care-taking will be considerable, to which must be added freight and expenses from the American port of landing to destination; so that, allowing for all contingencies, a sum of three thousand dollars will probably be required for the undertaking. Will not you, gentle reader, be the patriotic American to merit the thanks of your countrymen and of posterity by contributing the amount necessary to add these noble birds to the fauna of America ? CHAPTEll XXXI. A S TATE 1)1 NNE R . the 24th of November, 1884, I was present at a IrKrI state dinner given by the King to tlie diplomatic corps in the royal palace at Stockholm. I drove to the palace at six. A lackey, with a chapeau on his head, opened the carriage-door. The waiting-room was fringed with lackeys standing bolt upright, as if on dress parade, and smart with great silver buttons and silver cords. The commander of the squad, bearing a chapeau on his arm, bowed, whereat one of the rank and file came forward and took my coat. Passing through a long suite of brilliantly lighted halls, I was received by Count Nils von Rosen, the first marshal of the court, and by the Queen's chamberlain, Printzskold, and then paid my respects to the Countess de la Gardie, the first lady of the court, and to the maids of honor of the Queen. The rooms soon filled with diplomats, the Minister and heads of bureaus from the foreign office, courtiers, and ladies. All the gentlemen were in glittering uniform, and their breasts were covered with decorations. They all wore swords and carried chapeaux, with white plumes, under their left arms. There was only one black sheep in all this brill- iant flock. There came a rustle; everybody stood ranged round the rooms in the precise order of their rank, gentlemen down one wall, ladies along the opposite; and now I could see the tall form of the King advancing along our line, in full uniform, with the broad blue ribbon of the Seraphim across Ms breast. The Queen was talking to the ladies opposite, and the Crown Prince and Princess, and Prince Eugen were following. (347) 348 SWEDEN AND THE SWEDES. The King spoke very pleasantly to me about my luck shooting, and also inquired about a new American hand- grenade for extinguishing fires. The Queen's dress was decollete. It was a richly col- ored silk, adorned with flowers, and with black lace cover- ing it here and there like a cloud. The lace was gathered together behind and rested in a graceful fold along the top of the train. The sides of the train seemed as many col- ored as the rainbow, while a myriad of little silken ribbons, THE ROYAL DINING-HALL. or streamers, of every hue, tied on and hanging out in every conceivable way, fluttered with every step of the royal progress. A diadem of brilliants glistened on the Queen's head, and a narrow band of black velvet, studded with dia- monds, encircled her neck. From this band depended a great cluster of brilliants, fashioned into some royal design. Along the upper border of her bodice were some eight or ten oblong diamonds of colossal size. Diamonds sparkled everywhere — from her hair, her breast, and in clusters all over the royal robe. A STATE DINNER. 349 Tlie Crown Princess wore a white silk, with colored fig- ures here and tliere. It was, of course, decollete and en trcnne. Around her neck was a diamond necklace, from which hung long iDendants of diamonds; and in the center, a diamond cross. She wore a large brooch of diamonds, and on either side of this was attached, close to her shoulders, a rosette of the same precious stones. Her arms were bare, and many bracelets, sparkling with gems, were on each. In less time than I have been writing the description of THE ATELIER OF THE CROWN PRINCESS. these toilets, the Queen took the arm of the Crown Prince; the King offered his arm to the Crown Princess; broad doors at the end of the room were SAvung open by invisible hands, and we marched into the dining-hall, the Queen and Crown Prince leading. The grand hall was lighted by electricity (Edison's incandescent patent). The lights gleamed from five golden chandeliers; a magnificent one in the center, four smaller toward the four corners of the room. Many candles, also, whose light was softened by colored paper shades, THE CROWN PRINCESS. (In Her Wedding Dressy ( :3oO ) THE CROWN PRINCE, (361) 352 SWEDEN AND THE SAVEDES. burned from golden candle-sticks along the center of the table. Some fifty persons were at the dinner. The King sat midway the board, with the Queen on his left; beyond the Queen, was the Crown Prince; and on the right of the King, the Crown Princess; and beyond, Prince Eugen. Behind the Queen and the Crown Princess, stood their "runners," grand in silver helmets and towering ostrich jjlumes of varied hue. Behind the King and Crown Prince, were their hunters, clad in imposing uniforms of blue and silver. The table ornaments were all of gold; all the plates and dishes were of gold; the knives, forks, and spoons were all gold, save only the blades of the knives which were used with the courses of meat, which were of steel, and on every- thing, down to the golden salt-spoons, were the royal arms. This magnificent dinner-service of gold has a history. It was a present from Frederick the Great of Prussia to his sister, Lovisa Ulrika, the gifted and beautiful Queen of Sweden, and mother of Gustaf III. It was only when dessert came that the golden plates ceased, and in their stead was used the most exquisite por- celain, worth more than its weight in the most precious of metals. The King drank the health of eacJi Minister in turn. Tlie health was proposed by His Majesty in the simplest words possible. The Minister rose and stood erect in his place, bowed to the King, emptied his glass, bowed again, and resumed his seat. There was no other response, and no speech-making of any kind. The walls of the room were deep red, and iipon them were fastened, on every side, groups of the most beautiful Sevres porcelain. King Oscar is the fortunate owner of many sets of the most beautiful porcelain of Sevres. One set, in particular, is of almost incalculable value. It is of that rare and exquisite translucent blue porcelain, known as blue celeste, which was only manufactured for a short period, and that more than a hundred years ago. This set was the gift of A STATE DIXNER. 353 Louis XV. of France, to Gustaf III. of Sweden, in 1772, and it has been preserved unbroken ever since. When King Oscar was at Paris some years ago, he went about seeing the sights incognito, clad in ordinary citizen's dress. Among other x)laces, he dropped in at the Oflflcial Exposition of the porcelain of Sevres. Here the product of every year was arranged chronologically, and with great care. Of some kinds, there were full sets; but, of blue celeste, there were but three pieces, and the custodian in- formed the King that it was impossible to obtain more, and that they were of immense value. "What!" said the King, "Have you only these three plates of blue celeste?" "That is aU." -NTRY OF THE CROWN PRINCE, WITH HIS BRIDE, INTO STOCKHOLM, OCTOBER 1, 1 23 354 SWEDEN AND THE SWEDES. "Well, then," said His Majesty, "I have many more than you. " ' ' You ! ' ' said the custodian, in amazement. ' ' Who are you ? ' ' "The King of Sweden!" "Oh! Your Majesty, pardon, but may I inquire how many pieces of this exquisite j>orcelain you have ? ' ' "Hear thou, Nils," said the King, turning to his first marshal, Count Rosen, who accomisanied him, "how many have we % ' ' "Two hundred and fourteen pieces. Your Majesty." ' ' Heavens ! ' ' cried the astonished custodian, ' ' And how can it be possible that you have preserved them all this time?" "Oh, that's very easily accounted for," said the King; "you see, in Sweden, we don't have any revolutions." The Frenchman bowed and was silent. But while we have been talking about porcelain, the last of fifteen courses has been served and disposed of at the royal board. We all rise from the table; each lackey seizes two chairs and draws them back against the wall, clear out of the way, and we pass out of the hall in the same order in which we entered. After dinner, I was favored with a somewhat extended conversation with the Crown Princess Victoria, who speaks English perfectly and without the slightest foreign accent or idiom. She is the granddaughter of Wilhelm I., the great Emperor of Germany, and in her veins flows the blood of the Vasa line of kings— heroes, that made Sweden great. Married at nineteen, she was now (1884) but twenty-two years of age. A tall, graceful young lady, with a beautiful expression, and a manner entirely unaffected and charming in its sincerity. She is called "the Sweet Princess," and sweet and lovely she certainly is, yet one soon discovers she is perfectly self- I)oised, self-contained, and that she has the force and abil- ity to command. A STATE DINNER. 355 She dances charmingly, models beautifnlly in clay, is a good and tender mother to her little royal highnesses, a careful and prudent manager of household affairs, and a great favorite with everybody, most especially with her father-in-law, King Oscar. She is a diplomat and a politician, too, and at the supper given by the King to the members of the Riksdag, in Jan- uary, 1885, she entered into the festivities with so much THE STUDY OF THE CROWN PRINCESS. heart and zest, and with her own fair, royal hands waited upon the different members, both noblemen and peasants, calling them by name and inquiring, with so much sym- pathy, for the wives and little ones they had left at home, that the grave law-makers of the Northland were never tired of sounding her praises, and felt, I am sure, a quick- ened loyalty to the whole royal house. I was once a witness of her tact, coolness, and good judg- ment. In March, 1885, the Crown Prince gave a ball in that portion of the royal palace occupied by him on the eastern side. The ball-room was brilliantly lighted with electricity. £J|W*~ ^ ^V THEIR LITTLE ROYAL HIGHNESSES. (356) A STATE DINNEK. 357 It was filled with the youth and beauty of the capital, and "all went merry as a marriage-bell." The electric-lamps had been hurriedly put up, however, and were now lighted for the first time. The electric-cur- rent was obtained by running wires provisionally to the electric-machines in the King's apartments. Everything worked well until the middle of the evening, when, sud- denly, in the twinkling of an eye, the lights went out, leav- ing the dancing-hall in complete darkness, save that a faint light shimmered in from an adjoining apartment through an open door-waj^ This entrance was already crowded with people looking on at the dancing, and just enough light straggled in over their heads to make darkness visible. We were dancing a Frangaise; the orchestra, knowing the music, kept on playing, and the Crown Princess, with admirable presence of mind, led her line of ladies forward in the dance without a moment's hesitation and as if noth- ing had hapj)ened. Under guidance of the Princess, the white-robed ladies advanced like a line of ghosts in the dim and uncertain twilight. Before the figure was finished, a fire thread flashed around the chandelier overhead, fifty candles were lighted at once, and, without interrui^tion, the dance that was com- menced by electricity and continued in darkness was fin- ished by candle-light. The sedate and scholarly Crown Prince of Sweden is a man of good understanding, varied culture, and much force of character; but, surely, he never in his life did a better or wiser thing than when he brought to the northern cap- ital this rose of Germany, and with it both beauty and strength to the royal house of Sweden and Norway. But I must not forget that we are still guests at the din- ner of the King; or, to close this chapter by saying that, at half -past eight, the royal family withdrew, and that soon afterward we shook hands and bade good-night to the ladies and gentlemen of the court, and drove home through the brilliantly lighted streets of the city. CHAPTER XXXIL FRED RIKA BREMER. 'P three flights of a stone stair- way to a little landing. A courtesying Swedish maid answers my knock and shows me into a cozy sitting-room. Presently, a '°^^^ little old woman, with a decided stoop in her shoulders, enters and meets me with extended hand and pleasant smile, bidding me welcome with one of the sweetest voices I ever listened to. This was one forenoon in January, 1864; the cozy sitting- room was in Stockholm, Queen of the North, in the fourth story of a brick house on the long Drottning gatan, and the little old woman was Fredrika Bremer, the great Swed- ish authoress. ' ' I was expecting you, ' ' she said, seating herself in a high-backed easy-chair, and motioning me to a lower seat at her side; "and now tell me all about my good friends at Athens." I gave her the greetings Mr. and Mrs. Hill, the veteran American missionaries in Greece, had confided to me, and was pleased to see her eye kindle with a genial smile as my words recalled friends and scenes of a distant land. "Did you see many i:)retty women in Greece i" she asked. "Not as many as I had anticipated." "I saw scarcely any," she continued, "and this lack of beauty strengthens my ojnnion that the old Hellenic stock has died out. The present inhabitants of Greece are, I think, descendants of the Albanians and other Northern tribes, and the women all have a great, pendant, potato nose, which is anything but classic or beautiful ; ' ' and the little woman laughed heartily. (359) FREDRIKA BREMER. (360) FREDRIKA BREMEK. 361 I requested her autograph for the great fair of the Sani- tary Commission, soon to be held at New York, explaining that the proceeds would be devoted to the sick and wounded sokliers. "Of the North «' ' she asked. "Certainly; we thus aid only those who light for freedom." As I spoke, she seized my hand and pressed it warmly. "It will give me real joy," she said, "to do anything to help on liberty in America, or to comfort the soldiers who have become disabled in lighting for it. ' ' Her eyes beamed brightly as she spoke, and her whole manner showed how actively she was interested in our cause and country. She had much to ask about the slaves and their masters, our armies and generals, our past and our prospects. Through- out her whole conversation, an earnest symj)athy for our Republic ever manifested itself. I found also that she had the strongest faith in our final victory; with true womanly instinct, she refused to entertain the thought of the ultimate discomfiture of right. As we were thus earnestly talking, a girl of peerless beauty flew in. Half-kneeling, she pressed her lips to the old lady's forehead, and, without seeming to care for a third person's presence, i^oured into her aged friend's ear a sweet, girlish confession of the past four-and-twenty hours, not forgetting the ball of the previous night. The authoress received this all with the tender regard of a mother, now giving a gentle word of reproof and now encouraging. This interesting tete-d-tete gave me the best opi^ortunity for observing Miss Bremer. The stoop of her shoulders was hid in the ample cushions of her easy-chair. A neat white lace cap covered her head; her gray hair was brushed straight back from a noble, lofty forehead, white as marble, and her mild blue eyes beamed with a tender compassion that made one forget the great author in the sympathizing friend, and compelled me to call her beautiful, for beauty of soul shone forth in every glance. 362 SWEDEN AND THE SWEDES. The maiden returned her benign gaze with the warm, eager, hopeful glance of girlhood, and as they thus com- muned, I thought I had never seen a more beautiful picture of youth and age. The confession over, Miss Bremer presented me to her young friend, a Miss Nilson, and soon after I took my leave. A few evenings subsequent, I attended a little tea-party at Fredrika Bremer's. There were some dozen present. Miss Bremer received me with the sweet smile that seemed to be a part of her, and introduced me to all her guests in turn. There was an old professor, "very literary," my hostess whispered; a Swedish nobleman; a newly-married couple; a handsome young Polish exile with flashing eye; several old ladies; and a bright-eyed young English girl, daughter of Mary Howitt, residing with Miss Bremer and learning Swedish, that she might one day take her mother' s place in giving us the gems of the ISTorthland. This party was one of Miss Bremer' s little evening recep- tions, which she gave every week through the winter to strangers in the Swedish capital — and, were there an Ameri- can in town, the author of " The Homes of the Kew World " was sure to find him out and welcome him to her own home in the Northland. Soon Miss Bremer took the eldest lady by the hand, and we all followed out to tea. We sat at two little tables. The nobleman was on our hostess' left. I had the honor of being on her right, in accordance with the hospitable Swedish custom, wliich, when a foreigner is present, assigns the chief seat at table, not to the greatest dignitary, but to the greatest stranger. A maid-servant first passed around potatoes, and, when we had peeled these, little cutlets of chopped beef to eat with them. Next, tea was served, with very delicate wafers, and then light cakes, with a preserve made from the celebrated Arctic aker berry — Itiibus Arctlcus. This had a wild aromatic flavor, reminding me of the fragrant ferns and spruce-groves of the far North. FREDEIKA BEEMER. 363 " You must not forget that you have eaten the aker berry with me," said Miss Bremer; "it is a real Arctic deli- cacy, only found in very high latitudes. And now," she continued, ' ' let me give you a glass of wine, not imported, but pure Swedish wine, and what is more, made by myself. I can't give you much," she added, naively, "as I have but little, and hold it very choice." She filled a tiny wine-glass for each of us, and, clinking our glasses all round the board, we drank skal to our hostess. "How do you like it? " she asked. "Excellent." " So you see that Sweden is not so far north but that we can have our native wines, though they are made from the gooseberries of our own gardens." As we rose from the table, each guest took the hostess by the hand, bowed, and said, ' ' Tack fur maten " — " Thanks for the food. ' ' This is a universal custom in Scandinavia, and is handed down from the good old times. It has a hearty simjplicity about it which is charming, and reminds one of that early day when a good meal was a God-send, seldom obtained and rightlj' appreciated. In the course of the evening. Miss Bremer, seated in her high-backed easj^-chair, read, with a clear, sweet voice, two of Hans Christian Andersen's tales in the original Danish, stopping every now and then to make a criticism or direct our attention to some i^aragraph that pleased her. ' ' Ander- sen is one of my favorite authors," she said; "few men possess such child-like simplicity and purity." The reading finished. Miss Bremer led off the conversa- tion in French, for the sake of the Polish exile, who spoke no Swedish. What impressed me most deeply in Miss Bremer' s dis- course was her glowing description of a Swedish novel just issued — "The Last Athenian." "It ought to be read in America," she said; "Americans would appi'eciate it. You are an American. Why can not you translate it for your countrymen 'I ' ' 364 SWEDEN AND THE SWEDES. Then, as I smiled at her enthusiasm, she added, "You must translate it. I insist upon it. ' ' We took our leave before eleven. "Don't forget me, and don't forget ' The Last Athenian,' " she said, as I took her hand at parting, little dreaming I should never see her again. Late in the autumn of 1865, I sailed from Sweden for my native land, not, however, until I had written Miss Bremer that her command had been obeyed. After reaching America, I received the following reply, written in a firm, clear hand in English: Aksta, 8 December, 1865. Mr. W. W. Thomas, Jr.: Mr Dear Sir: — I am delighted to learn that you have not forgotten my parting words about "The Last Athenian," by my young countryman, Victor Rydberg. Let me congratulate you, and thank you for having, through your ti-anslation of this delightful work, given the American public the best and most genial historical novel that ever was written in Swedish language. I should send this letter to you directly by the post, if I knew where it would find you. But I can not see which of the three addresses in your letter of 18 November is yours personally — "New York, Liverpool, or Portland, Maine." Should you, perchance, happen to be a little everywhere, as a true American cosmopolite, spiritually of course, in this my uncertainty I shall take the course indicated by you and turn to Mr. Campbell, who will know how to catch hold of you. Earnestly, you should have a station also in Sweden; for, judging from my imi^ressions during our short entremies, and by what I have seen of your writing in our papers, you certainly must have many friends in Swedish homes and hearts. Nor do I fear it to be a mistake when I ask you to think of me as a sincere and well-wishing old friend. Fredrika Bremer. P. S. — My address remains Stockholm, though I am — if so God pleases for the rest of my days — now fixed at my old family country-home, three Swedish miles from Stock- holm. FREDRIKA BREMER. 365 Alas! the rest of lier days were all too few. Even before her letter reached me, the kind heart that dictated it had ceased to beat. A cold, taken at Christmas, brought on inflammation of the lungs, and shepeacefulljr went out with the last day of the old year, 1865, at the age of sixty-four. Miss Bremer is undoubtedly better known in America than any other Swedish author. She traveled widely in the United States and was a welcome guest at many a fire- side. She has written much about us and our country, but this can to her honor be said, she never violated the sacred laws of hospitality. Nowhere in her works can be found a line or a word that can give just cause of offense, that can inflict a stab, or cause a pang in the breast of any member of the great, young, confiding nation whose guest she was. What an honorable contrast does she present to several able writers of our own kith and kin across the Atlantic, whom we have received with open arms and overwhelmed with attentions and kindnesses. But Fredrika Bremer was a greater woman than author. Her heart Avas full of love for every human creature, and this love manifested itself wherever she knew of a sufferer to be comforted or a poverty-stricken home to be made bright and joyous. Her life was spent in making others happjr, and surely she is now reaping her reward. CHAPTER XXXIIL y C U S T M S A ND QH A R A GTE RISTIC S. j^HB predominant characteristic of the Swedes is liind- liness. "Doyouiindmy people kindly T' asked the King of an American traveler; and, if he had '^^ searched the whole English language through, he could not have found a word which would better express the leading trait of his people. They are kind to each other, kind to their wives and children, kind to the stranger within their gates, kind to their domestic animals, and kind to any little wild beast or bird which chance may send in their way. Their politeness, their hospitality, their courtesy, all their good qualities, spring from this one source — their kind hearts; and their faults — if any they have — and they are few indeed — all have the same root. At a farm-house, the cattle, and horses, and sheep approach you with a neighborly confidence, and it is easy to see that they expect to be patted, not kicked. The hens do not scamper away as if they anticipated every boy would throw a stone at them, the geese are too haxijjy to hiss you, and the cat purrs, on the sunny window-sill in blissful security. The Swedes are constantly manifesting their kindness in polite and gentle acts. They are the politest of nations. I have heard them called "the Frenchmen of the North," but their politeness is more hearty and genuine than that of the Latin race. You always feel there are sincerity, and honesty, and a warm heart back of it all. In the streets, the gentlemen all raise their hats, not only to the ladies, but to each other; and you can not walk with (367) 368 SWEDEN" AND THE SWEDES. a Swede for half a block but what he will take you by the hand at parting, lift his hat, and say, "Tack for godt sall- skap"— "Thanks for your good company." As you drive along a country road, every girl you meet drops a pretty courtesy, every boy doffs his hat, and, should you toss a penny to any one of a lot of urchins, the whole juvenile troop rushes up and shakes hands with you. If you sneeze, it is exactly as Longfellow says, everybody cries : ' ' God bless you ! ' ' A PENNt' AT THE GATE bCRrtWlSLE FOR GATE-MONEY. ( From a Panting by J A. Malmstrom,) The Swedes are quite conservative in their notions. Even the women have very old-fashioned ideas in regard to the obligations of their sex. They conceive it the duty of women to remain much at home, take care of the house, superintend the preparation of the meals, bring up the chil- dren, make home pleasant, and assist their husbands all they can along the pathway of life. Cliildren are taught to be kind to each other, respectful to their elders, and polite to all. Family life in Sweden is i^atriarchal and beautiful . Fami- lies keep together as much as they possibly can. The father CUSTOMS AND CHARACTERISTICS. 369 is with his wife and children as ninch as his business will allow. If excursions are to be made into the country, to a watering-place, to a city, for a day, or a week, or a month, the family is sure to go together, if it can so be arranged. In summer, out in the Deer-park near Stockholm, you are sure to see many a family grouj) sitting under an old oak or drooping birch, quietly passing the pleasant day together, the children playing around, the old folks smiling and look- ing happily on, or, perhaps, all together partaking of a frugal lunch spread upon the grass. The Swedes are satisfied with simple amusements. They enjoy everything like children. In fact, they frequently seem to be — the middle classes especially — but children of a larger growth. In the Deer-park is a merry-go-round, where one may mount a hobby-horse and ride around a circle to the music of a thundering hand-organ; but this is chiefly patronized by grown-up people, by fellows from the coun- try, and artisans, and young mechanics, who, with their sweethearts, are out for a holiday. Sitting on the hobby- horses are more grown-up people than children. There is another merry-go-round composed entirely of vessels, full-rigged and under full sail. These vessels not only swing around the circle, but they bob up and down as in a heavy sea. Look at the names on these ships as they come around, filled with young men and women, all having "such a good time ! " I am sure the name of one of them will arrest your attention. Its name is PuJce, which, being- applied to a ship, in a sea way would certainly be suggestive to an American; bnt your sense of decency and your faith in Sweden will be reassured when you are informed that '•Puke" is a word of two syllables, pronounced Puke, and is the name of a great naval hero, of whom Sweden is justly proud. Many simple indoor games are played in Sweden. I recollect the first evening I passed socially in the house of a Swede. Blind-man's-buff was played in half a dozen new varieties. In one version, the blind man is placed in the middle of the room with a cane in his liand. The others 24 370 SWEDEN AND THE SWEDES. form a ring, and, joining hands, run around him. The blind- folded one raps on the floor. This is calling the house to order, and all stand still. Now the blind man i^oints with his cane. The person pointed at steps forth out of the ring and takes hold of the end of the stick. Then, blind man and his victim both place their mouths close to their respective ends of the cane, using it as a telephone-wire. Blind man squeaks out ' ' piggy wiggy, ' ' or Swedish to that effect, and victim squeaks back the answer appropriate to the occasion. The blind man repeats "hoggy woggy," vic- tim answers in falsetto. " Swiney winey," sings the blind one, in musical Scandinavian, and, for the third time, victim must reply. And now the exultant blind man guesses who it is that has held this interesting conversation with him, and, if right, the bandage around his eyes is removed, his victim is blinded in turn, everybody laughs, and the game goes on. In another form <^f blind-man's-buff, the company sit around the room — all save the blind man, who jjrome- nades around. At his own good pleasure, he fumbles about and sits down in the lap of someone, and then, after sufficient deliberation, guesses whose lap it is that he is sitting in. I noticed that the young gentlemen, although, of course, absolutely dejprived of sight, always sat down in the laps of the young ladies, and, frequently, were an unconscionable time in gathering evidence upon which to found a correct guess. As I now reflect upon it, in the light of maturer years, I do not think I will recommend this game to Ameri- can children over twelve years of age, unless the party be, in the words of JjTr 5. Grundy, "very select." Another house-game is called lana, lana eld. All but one sit in a circle around the room. This one we will sup- pose to be a pretty Swedish maid, with light-blonde hair, and a bright-blue dress. She walks up to any of the sitters and, rapping on the floor with a cane, says, "Lana, lana eld" —"Lend, lend fire." The youth addressed replies, ' ' Ga till nasta grannen, ' ' — ' ' Go to the next neighbor. ' ' This the blue-eyed maid obedi- CUmTOMrt AND OTIARACTEKISTIOS. 371 ently does, raps Avith her cane, repeats tlie same question, and gets the same answer, and so on. All the while the com- pany are beckoning to each other, springing up, and ex- changing chairs, by darting across the room, and the Joke and point of the game is for the maid in search of fire to drop into some chair during the instant it is left vacant. Whereat, the one ousted in possession and enjoyment of the same, takes the cane and goes his round in search of the coveted fire. Surely, this game is older than friction matches, for Avhich Sweden is now so justly famous, and originated at a time VAFVA VADMAL —"WEAVING HOMESPUN." (From a Painting by A. [Vlalmstrom. } when fire was a precious possession, guarded with care, and, if lost, worth a trip among your neighbors to borrow. Never would it occur to anyone nowadays to originate a game on the legend, " Lend me a match." One pleasant summer afternoon, early in the season, I dropped in at the Society House at Lysekil. At the piano sat Knut Almlof, the genial veteran tragedian of Sweden, obligingly playing what we Americans would call a lively break-down. On the floor, a group of youtlis and maidens 372 SWEDEN AND THE SWEDES. were dancing a graceful and intricate measure; all singing- as tliey danced. They were ranged in two lines, and the dance somewhat resembled our Virginia Reel — only it was n ore intricate, and, in one figure, the two lines knelt down, all clapping their hands as they sung, while the dancing pair, with hands joined and arms held over the heads of their kneeling comrades, glided down one line and up the other. Both music and words are specially adapted to the dance, which has been handed down from time immemorial. It is called Vafva Vadmal — Weaving Homespun — and closely imitates, with its changing figures, all the motions of weaving cloth at the old and honored hand-loom. It is peculiarly a Swedish national dance, and is very popular among all classes of society. The Swedes have also a ring-dance called Skara Hafre — Reaping Oats. The dancers imitate, by their gestures, and describe, in their song, the sowing the seed, reaping the crop, binding the sheaves, and threshing the grain. Little fear of a nation so intimate with husbandry and housewifery that even its dances are modeled upon the sowing and reaping of the crops, and the movements at the loom, where the good wife weaves carpets for her floors and clothes for her family. The Swedes spend the summer practically in the open air. All who can, go to their villas. I do not believe there is a town, of the population of Stockholm, in the world that has around it so many picturesque villas, beautifully situ- ated. Those who have not a villa, go to the numerous watering-places. Those who can not leave the city, spend afternoon, or at least evening, out-of-doors. They thus make up for the long confinement they must undergo in their protracted winters. Everywhere, as you sail or drive in the vicinity of a city in the summer-time, you see the Swedes out-of-doors, the ladies dressed in the pretty costumes of the peasantry, walking with long stafl's in their hands, and every day they are sure to walk down to their bath-houses and take a swim in f jard or lake. CUSTOMS AND CHARACTEKISTICS. 373 The Swedes are very fond of music. In every city, bands play in tlie open air in summer, and, on every side, are a multitude of small round tables with cliairs grouped about them, where all classes sit, and eat, and drink, and talk, and gesticulate in lively manner. At Stockholm, also, the military parade marches every noon, with a full band, from the barracks in Ostermalm to the palace. From my residence on the King's Park, I could hear three large bands playing all through the summer evenings. VIEW FROM THE AMEF5ICAN LEGATION, STOCKHOLM. One would have been a good thing, but three were too many; for I was about equi-distant from each, and the thumps of one cut strangely across the time of the others. At Stockholm, you may sit out all night in the summer- time, as it is not dark there is little inducement to go in- doors, and, generally, there is no dew falling. I frequently tried, when sitting in the parks late at night, to write my name with my finger in the dampness on the table, as I could do in America. There never was any dampness to write in. 374 SWEDEN AND THE SWEDES. In Sweden, you always drive to the left, and, in walking, pass your fellow-pedestrians on the same side. It is also considered good form to take the left-hand sidewalk, and so, in the principal business streets of Stockholm, in Drottning gatan, for instance, you always see the throng surging up one side of the street and down the other. You are thus very seldom in danger of running into a f ellow-x^romenader. There is also a Stockholm custom that the man walking on the curb-stone on the left side of the street, that is, as the Swedes say, ' ' the man with his right hand hanging over the street-gutter," is especially privileged. Everybody turns out for him. He turns out for no one; and, if you happen to be on the wrong side of the street, it is always worth while, if you value your comfort, to cross over and get the commanding position on the left-hand curb-stone. The Swedes are not especially a mercantile race, and many of the shops in the larger cities are owned and kept by foreigners, chiefly Germans and Jews. In entering a shop, the Swedes always take off their hats. A Swede would no more think of keeping his hat on in your shop than he would in your parlor. The clerks are very generally young ladies, and the pur- chaser, taking off his hat, bids them ' ' good-morning ' ' as pleasantly as he would a lady in the drawing-room. If his design be to purchase ever so small an article, he always approaches the object of his i)urchase indirectly, and this indirection gives place to quite an animated, and always a pleasant, discussion between the gentleman purchaser and the lady clerk. Then comes a scene of beating down; for the Swedes never think they have done their duty unless they have spent some time in trying to depreciate an article, and, in this process, truth compels me to state that the motherly dames especially excel. Finally, the purchaser says, "Is this your very last price?" "Yes," says the lady clerk mournfully, shaking her head, "this is my very last word," and then the article is usually purchased. CUSTOMS AND OHAKACTEUISTICS. 375 Nature lias given Scandinavia a hard soil, and cold climate, and compelled the farmer to practice, in all things, the most rigid economy. In traveling in August, j^ou v^dll see little yellow bundles hanging upon the birch-trees in the fields. On closer inspection, you will find that these yellow bunches are little sheafs of the twigs of the birch-tree itself. They are cut off, bound up, hung until they are thoroughly dry, and then taken home as winter fodder for the sheep. A MOWING-BEE IN OALECARLIA, (From a Painting by George Pauli.i In the cold North, the heat of the sun is not sufficient to cure the hay. Everywhere throughout the grass-fields of Northern Scandinavia, you will see structures of i)oles that look like short sections of tall rail-fence. These are called hasjor. On these hasjor, the grass is laid up to dry, as fast as it is mowed, and thus the wind is made to help the sun in caring the hay-crop. 376 SWEDEX AND THE SWEDES. Indian corn never ripens anywhere on the Scandinavian Peninsula, and it is only in the Middle and Southern Prov- inces that wheat can be grown. Wheat bread is seldom seen, except in the cities and larger towns, and in the families of the wealthier classes. Rye, barley, and oats, grow well, however, and rye bi*ead forms the staff of life in Sweden, though, formerly, in hard seasons, straw and the inner bark of trees were sometimes g-T'ound up and mixed with the rye that made the Norse- man's bread. BAKING RYE BREAD. (From a Painting by G. O. Cederstrom.) The Swedish rye cake is hard and brittle as the toughest hard bread used on board our ships; but it is very whole- some, and, if you only have good teeth, you soon get quite fond of it, and frequently choose it in preference to bread made from wheat. This hard rye bread is to be found everj^where throughout Sweden, in city and country, at the King's table and in the lowliest peasant' s hut. It usually CUSTOMS AND CHAEAOTEEISTICS. 377 string buttons knitting-needle. appears in the form of liuge circular disks, as big around as the wheel of a wheel -barrow, but sometimes as thin as a knife-blade. These wheel cakes have a hole in the mid- dle, and, among the peasantry, are strung on a pole, as a girl would on a THE BREAD-POLE Wheu tlio pole Is full, it is hung on the rafters overhead, and the bread broken off day by day as the household requires. Sometimes, entering the house of a peasant, you see half a dozen poles, each the size of a bean-pole, strung full with great disks of bread and hanging side by side close under the ceiling. You may be certain that very little new bread is eaten by the rural pop- ulation of Sweden. Many peasants bake bread but four times a year. A grand baking-time once in three months furnishes the family with bread enough to last until the next quarter comes round; and, certain am I, that if we could exchange our hot saleratus biscuit for the wholesome hard rye bread of Scandinavia, it would not only lighten the toil of many an overworked American woman, but prove a blessing to the digestion of all of ns. In the lai'ger cities, families seldom buy flour or make bread. The bread is almost all baked at the bakers' . They sell not only the hard crackers but soft bread of wheat and A STOCKHOLM BAKER'S CART. 378 SWEDEN AND THE SWEDES. rye in loaves, which run in size from the smallest roll to the bigness of a cord-wood stick. The Swedish farmer is often a grazier as well, and in domestic economy the cattle occupy an important place. The Norseman is fond of milk in all the forms into which it can be turned or manufactured, although I suspect, if he has any preference, it is for the soured i)roduct. INTERIOR OF PEASANT'S COTTAGE. (From a Painting by M. Therkildsen.) Solid sour-milk, as firm and hard as jelly, is a leading article of diet in the home of every Swedish peasant. It is placed in the center of the table in a huge wooden trough. It is the only dish. The family and guests gather around the festive board, each armed with a big wooden spoon. Next, the housewife delicately sprinkles the creamy surface with brown sugar and ginger. Then, each one marks out in a V-shape what he considers about his fair proportion of the stiffened lacteal fluid, and in go the wooden spoons, all to- gether, and very actively, till the trough is emptied. CUSTOMS AND ClIAKACTERISTICS. 379 I hav'e often enjoyed such a meal, and often seen it accompanied by the most praiseworthy acts of self-denial and courtesy; but I am sorry to add that an American gen- tleman, who was once a fellow-traveler with me in the wilds of the North, occasionally evinced a reprehensible desire to remove the ancient landmarks, and commit a tres- pass on his neighbor's territory where the rich cream lay thickest. Milk in this form is called fiUebunke, and it is related that once a Swedish sailor, lying at the point of death in a hospital at Naples, and thinking of the home of his child- hood, cried out in delirium: "FiUebunke ! fiUebunke ! " "Ah!" said his pious Italian watchers. "Hear! he is caUing upon the patron saint of his country." This happened to be the turning-point of the fever, and, from that hour, the sailor, who had been given up by the doctors, began to get well. " It is Sancta FiUebunka who has saved him," said the watchers. "What a powerful saint he must be, to be sure, who can thus tear a man from the very grasp of death ! ' ' So they hastened to enroll this guardian angel of the Swede among their own divinities, and to this day, so the story runs, the simple Neapolitans, when sickness is upon them, cry: '■'■Sancta FiUebunka! Sancta FillebunTca .' or a pro nobis f'' Which, rendered into plain English, is: "Oh, Saint Bon- ny-clabber ! Oh, Saint Bonny-clabber ! pray for us ! " A pretty sight is the Swedish village-market. Should you be up betimes on a market-day, and drive to the outskirts of the "by," you wiU see the peasant girls all trooping toward the town. All have a silk kerchief neatly tied about their blonde heads, and all are barefooted. They all have shoes, to be sure, but these they carry in their hands and not till they get to the borders of the town do they sit down and put on those precious shoes, which have cost them so large a part of their slender wages. Keturning to the town, we find the large open square filled with long lines of rude country wagons. From one 380 SWEDEN AND THE SWEDES. end of these narrow carts, the farmers are selling vegetables and frnit; while, at the other, their little horses are munch- ing dinner from a truss of hay. The market-place is lined with booths, doing a brisk busi- ness in candy and toys, gingerbread and gimcracks. Crowds of Swedish peasants in their bright costumes stroll through the market, chaffering, chatting, and laughing along the booths and wagons. While, upon a platform of boards, in a field hard by, the lads and lassies dance all day MARKET SCENE IN WINTER. (From a Painting by Axel Borg.) long to the music of a violin and accordion. And they dance with so much spirit and vigor — the lassies especially — that you can scarce believe they are the same prudent girls who were so careful not to wear out their shoes in the morning. Apropos the accordion, it may be mentioned that, of all musical instruments, it is the one that country swains delight most to perform upon. Its long-drawn-out and plaintive (3815 382 S\yEDEN AND THE SWEDES. notes are supposed also to exercise the most enticing power over the rustic and lowly beauties of Sweden. Piglock — the house-maid's lure — it is often jokingly called by the Swedish gentry. On the west coast of Sweden is the little town of Var- berg. Here, on a cliif overlooking the sea, is situated an ancient fortress. This, at the time of my visit, was used as a state prison. One evening, looking down from the ramparts, upon the four hundred prisoners, avIio were being marched across a wide court-yard to their cells, I noticed one dark, swarthy fellow, who Avalked with dogged step and downcast mien. "Who is he?" I asked. ' ' Oh, that is Antonellos !" answered the Swedish sergeant. "He isn't a Swede, he's a Greek. He was a sailor on board a Swedish ship in the Mediterranean. One night he had a row with the Swedish captain and murdered him. Anto- nellos is serving out a life sentence.'" As he passed close beneath us, at the foot of the rampart, I called out in modern Greek: ^'■Kala spera sas, Tcala spera sets'" — "Good-evening, good-evening, to you." At the sound of his own language, the Greek stopped, looked up and around; a bright smile broke over his sullen features. "-Kala spera sas, Tcala spera seis, Ixyrle" — "Good- evening, good-evening, sir," he answered. He took off his cai) and looked back, smiling and nodding, till he reached the gloomy portal of the prison-house. The year after, I again visited Varberg, but Antonellos was gone. "Pardoned out," said the sergeant. ' ' Was new evidence discovered ? " I asked. "Oh, no!" "Did the Government of Greece make a demand for him?" "Oh, no!" " Why was he pardoned, then ? " "Well, you see, sir," said the sergeant, "Antonellos was so lonely up here, so far away from his Southern home, CUSTOMS AND CHAKACTERISTICS. 383 that really it was too bad to keep him here any longer; so the King pardoned him, and he sent him a pnrse of money, too, the King did, so that he could pay his way back to his native land again." CHAPTEPt XXXIV. SOME SWEDISH EXPRESSIONS. ^HE Swedes are fond of pomp and pageantry, uniforms and decorations. The officers generally appear on the streets and at the cafes in uniform, and the ^^ jingle of their spurs and rattle of their swords is sweetest music in their ears, as Avell as in the ears of the young ladies whom they meet and salute with military pre- cision, with hand at right temjde; and I am sure few things are more pleasing to a Swede, be he civilian or soldier, than to have his manly breast decorated with stars, and orders, and ribbons. With this love of show goes the fondness for titles. A Swede always desires to be addressed by his title, and he is very particular to speak to you by the most honorable appellation you possess. Of course, counts and barons and judges and generals are addressed as such; and if a man have neither title nor office, he is addressed by the name of his business or calling. The merchant is spoken to as " HeiT grosshandlaren," the carpenter as "snickaren," and the tin-knocker as " bleckslagaren. " Furthermore, if j^ou will be really polite, you must also add the surnames of those you address; so that, on going into a tin-shop, you will not ask, ' ' Can you sell me a pail 'i ' ' but ' ' Can ' bleckslagare' Pettersson sell me a pail ? ' ' And though one may not, him- self, magnify his office in Sweden, he frequently has it ennobled for him in the most amiable wa^^ For instance, the head waiter at a hotel or restaurant is always called, "Hofmastare" — literally, "master of the court." With the politeness characteristic of the Swedes, they pass their titles over to their wives. The sjjouse of a 25 (385 J 386 SWEDEN AND THE SWEDES. general is "generalskan," and the better- half of a consul, " consulinnan." The wife of a grefve, or count, is " grefvin- nan;" of a "friherre," or baron, "friherrinnan;" and, when any other nobleman takes a partner for life, she becomes ' ' hennes nad " — " her grace. ' ' The wife of a merchant is addressed as "fru," with the surname, of course; and we must go down among the servants before we can employ so low a title as "madam." The old woman who scours your floor you will hear spoken of as "skur-madam." The unmarried daughters of noblemen are always addressed as "friiken;" and, formerly, the daughters of well-to-do citi- zens were called " mamsell," and the peasant girls and ser- vant-maids "jungfru." But these two latter appellations are gradually dropping out of use, in deference, perhaps, to the democratic spirit of the age; and, in the cities, all the maidens now desire — no matter to what class they belong — to be called "froken," and surely about so little a matter as that you will only be too glad to please them. It is strange how languages shock common-sense and common-grammar, in trying to be polite in the use of the addressing pronoun. Even in English we magnify one person into two or more when we address him as "you." If an Italian should ask you to accompany him, he would say, ' ' Will lie go ? " because it is not polite to use the second person. For the combined reasons of English and Italian, the German says, ' ' Will they go ? " multiplying you first into several people, and then speaking to them in the thii"d person. But Swedish caps the climax. It can find no pronoun polite enough to use in addressing a lady or gentle- man, for pronouns are used in speaking to servants and children; so it leaves the poor pronouns all out in the cold, and calls over a person' s title every time it addresses him. Let us make a table of the absurdities of a few of our modern languages on the pronoun question: Truthful, simple, grammatical form, "WUt thou go?" English and French, " Will you go ? " Italian, " Will /^e go?" German, " WiU they go ? " SOME SWEDISH EXPRESSIONS. 387 Swedish — that is, if we suppose you are the wife of a consul — "Will tlie lady consullnnan go V In Swedish society, if you would be considered au fait, you will take as much pains to learn the names and titles of persons as would the Speaker of the House of Repre- sentatives. I am well aware, there has been for many years an effort to introduce into Swedish the word " ni " — " you " — but the use has scarcely gone beyond a certain class of j^rofessors and scholars. It has not worked its way into the great mass of the people; and I confess, even to my ears, the word "ni" sounds somewhat like a slap in the face. I recollect that one of the young lady clerks in Herr Leja's great store at Stockholm sent word to a gentleman that his boy had insulted her. On asking the girl what the insult was, she replied, "He addressed me as ' ni. ' " But there is one pronoun used by the Swedes, the sweetest in the world, the little word of two letters — " du." We translate it into the English "thou;" but we can not translate the tender, trusting affection that this little word breathes to Swedish ears when spoken within the charmed circle of their homes. Sometimes, two gentlemen who have grown to be fast friends, become "du" with each other. The event marks an imx^ortant stage in their friendship, and is accompanied by a little ceremony. The higher in rank, or the elder, of the two says, "Let us lay aside our titles." Pouring out bumpers, they stand erect, and, clinking glasses, drink the "brothers' 'skal;'" then, grasping each other warmly by the hand, they say, "Thanks, brother." Thereafter they are "du brothers." They always address each other as "du," or "brother." They speak of each other as ' ' brothers, ' ' and commence letters to one another with "brother!" This custom of " f osterbrodralag " (foster-brotherhood) is handed down from remote antiquity. It existed in the earliest viking times. Then, if two warriors of the North- land would become foster-brothers, each one cut a gash in his own body, and these twain let their blood How together 388 SWEDEN" AND THE SWEDES. in the dust; then, kneeling, tliey swore that they would share each other' s prosperity and adversity in life, and, as brothers, avenge each other's death. Finally, they called upon the gods to witness this vow, which they conhrmed with a grasp of the hand. AVhen the grand old cham- pions, Hjalmar and Orvar-Odd, became foster-brothers, a broad strip of turf Avas cut, so that, while the ends held fast in the ground, the center was raised aloft on spear points; HJALMAR'S FAREWELL OF ORVAR-ODD. (From a Painting by M. E. Winge,} and, beneath this green arch of earth, the heroes took the oath that made them brothers in life and death. The Swedish language is full of tender words and kind, affectionate, little phrases. They come so easily to the lips of a Swede, they sound so politely, and they have such a good, warm heart for their fountain, that our command- ing, business-like English tongue soon sounds hard in comparison. SOME SAVEBISH EXPRESSIONS. 389 " Small talk," you will soon Jind, can he run mucli more easily on Swedish wheels than on English ones. In Swedish, there is some little harmless nothing yon may say for every glance of a lady's eye, every stroke of her fan, or arch of her neck, which is at once so very comijlimentary, and at the same time may mean nothing at all, that I believe for chit-chat — and very pleasant chit-chat, too— there is no speech like the flowing music of the Northland; for every phrase and word is sung rather than spoken, in a kind of wavy, musical intoning. Were you to speak the tongue as we speak English, no one would understand you. Many Swedish words, when jorinted, resemble either German or English; but, when spoken, the language sounds more like Italian than any speech I ever heard. I recollect once, at a ball, I was in the midst of a bevy of youths and maidens, and listening to a pleasant Swedish murmur that ri^jpled like caressing waves around, when, suddenly, a stone dropped plump, splash, into our little pleasure -lake, and roughly disturbed its waters. What do you suppose this stone was ? Why simply a long, lank, English friend of mine came sailing up, and opened her broadsides on ns in our strong, practical tongue. This singing of the language, coupled with the broad, full sound given to the vowels, has, no doubt, contributed to produce in Sweden so many good singers. I believe English is the language with which to fight a battle or command a ship. Our speech is spreading with resistless force over the world. English, not VolaxDiik, will be the world's language of the future; but much of sweetness, grace, and music will be lost, if ever Swedish ceases to be spoken. There is one expression in Swedish which is of universal application. I will Avarrant it to fit in anywhere in any conversation, and never be out of place. This is " ja sa, " pronounced ya so; literally, "yes so," but better trans- lated, "'is that so ? " It is always used in reply, and means anything or nothing according as you please to pronounce it. Should you ever hear two persons talking a foreign tongue, and be in doubt as to what nation they belong, just 390 SWEDEN AND THE SWEDES. listen. If one or the other does not say " ja sa" within two minutes, it is proof positive they are not Swedes. There is the "ja sa" expressing assent to the views you are impart- ing, "just so;" the "jasa" of approval and admiration, with a bow and a smile; the "ja sa" of astonishment, wonder, and surprise at the awful tale you are unfolding. Now the Swede's eyes and mouth become circles of amazement, and he draws out his reply, " ja so-o-o-o-o-o-o ! " There is the hesitating "ja sa" of doubt; the abrupt "ja sa! ja sa! " twice repeated, which politely informs you that your friend does not believe a word you are saying; the " ja sa" sarcas- tic, insinuating, and derogatory; the fierce " ja sa" of denial; the enraged " ja sa" as satisfactory as swearing, the threat- ening "jasa," fully equivalent to " I'll punch your head; " and the pleasant, purring, pussy-cat " ja sa, " chiefly used by the fair, a sort of flute obUgato accompaniment to your discourse, which shows that she is listening and pleased, and encourages you to continue. And other "ja sas" there be, too nuraerous for mention in this book. I am inclined to think there is not an emotion of the human soul but what the Swedes can express by "jasa," but the accent and intonation are different in every case. Each feeling has its own peculiar " ja sa," and there be as many, at least, as there are smells in Cologne, which number, the most highly educated nostrils give, if I mistake not, as seventy-three. Some Swedish words are singularly convenient. One, for which we have no exact equivalent, is "lagom." It means "just right," or "a happy medium." The meat is lagom roasted (done to a turn). Yoir come in lagom (in the nick of) time. Now it is lagom (just the right time) to go. That piece of cloth is lagom (just enough) for a coat forme. Now it is lagom (just the right) breeze for full sail. Lagom hardly means the very best, or the best possible, but some- thing exactly adapted, just right under the circumstances. It is a word you must feel, as well as understand, and is one of the handiest words in any language. In English, you can speak of your father and mother by using one word — '■'vaj parents.^' You may call to all your SOME SWEDISH EXPRESSIONS. 391 sons and daughters with one word— "my children . " In like manner, you may speak of all your brothers and sisters with one word— "my ," what? Yes! Search the wliole English language over and you will not find that word, but the Swede can say it — " my ' syskon.' " Syskon means all the brothers and sisters of one family, and is the one word, more than any other, we need in English — a household word, a word of tenderness and endearment, embracing all the little group that grow up together around their mother's knee. I am not an advocate of manufactured words or artificial languages. I do not believe that VolajDuk, or any tongue compounded by savants, will ever be spoken among men. But the English has always readily adopted existing words from other languages. Ours is par excellence, a com- posite tongue. In this, consists its variety, richness, and flexibility. Here, now, in Swedish, we find a word we need. Why not adopt it ? Or, rather, why not resume it 'i For, far back in time, and in the black forests of Europe, our two lan- guages were one. We were tent-mates together. Our home words, applied to the every-day objects of primitive life, were the same, and have changed but little through the thousands of years we have been separated. "Fader," "moder," "broder," "syster," are all four Swedish words; but what American or Englishman does not understand them? "Syskon," no doubt, was used by our common ancestors of the early Stone Age; but, in the many migrations of our branch of the Germanic race, it has dropped out. Let us pick it up again. It is not a manufactured word, or an artificial conglomeration of letters. It has been used for ages. It is part of our birthright. It is near enough to our ' ' sister ' ' to give an idea of its meaning, and yet far enough away not to be confounded with it. It is the one household word now lacking; the one every child with brothers and sisters needs. Let us make it our own, and shorten three words into one. Philologists — American and English— I make my most 392 SWEDEN AND THE SWEDES. respectful bow to yon, and propose long life, health, and hajDpiness to yon, yonr parents, children, and "syskon." The Swedes are not a profane race. They seldom swear by the Deity, or by any of the good powers. If they swear at all, they sAvear by the powers of darkness, and even here they hesitate to call the devil by his right name. They "beat the devil about the stump," and call him "fan," a word derived from ' ' fienden, ' ' meaning ' ' the hend, " or " the evil one." So the Swedes avIio want to say devil, and yet think it would be improper, quiet their scruples and ease their feelings by saying "fan." The general way by which the power of darkness is invoked is by saying ' ' ta mig, fan " — " take me, fan ' ' — but, sometimes, when a Swede is very angry, he wishes to swear by more than one devil, a single imj) not being sufficient for the occasion. The number that usually satisfies a Swede when thoroughly enraged is seventeen. ' ' Take me, seventeen devils ' ' is then the proper oath, although the more polite leave off the "devils," and swear by "seventeen." Whenever you hear the word "seventeen " used alone in Sweden, you may be sure it refers to devils; as, according to a gentleman whom I once heard testifying before a legis- lative committee of the State of Maine, the Avords "three hundred," when used in Maine without any qualification, always meant the number of rum-shops within the city of Portland. There is yet a point beyond seventeen; for a Swede maddened beyond all endurance cries out, "Take me, a thousand devils, " or " Take me, a thousand. ' ' And some low fellow, some specimen of humanity that gives aid and comfort to the doctrine of total depravity, will swear "djefvuln i min sjjil" — "by the devil in my soul" — and, from what I know of such people, I never had a doubt that this oath correctly described the situation. Fastidious Swedes, however, have very innocent syno- nyms for satan. They sometimes call him "the cat," when "Tamig, katten," or "Fykatten," becomes their favorite imprecation. A certain count, who was addicted to this VIKING FOSTER-BROTHERS. (393) 394 SWEDEN AjSTD THE SWEDES. exj)ression, was one day horriiied by hearing his n) aster- builder blurt out the i^rodigious oath, "Ta mig, tunnor tusan djefiar" — "Take me, a thousand barrels of devils." What made the offense all the more heinous was the fact that the builder, at that very moment, was engaged in erect- ing a church for the count. So the nobleman felt called upon to administer a severe reprimand. He was quite taken aback, however, when the builder laughingly replied: "Well, but, after all, count, the fact is your cat and my devil are the same old fellow.'' It will be observed that these different imprecations and invocations to his satanic majesty all refer to the person using them, and are not employed in cursing anybody else. It is "may the devil take ??ie," not you, the Swede says; but, when one person will chide another, one of the worst expressions employed, and indeed the one most generally used, is "vet hut" — "know your manners" — which is indeed very mild in comiDarison with the jjossibilities of the English language in this direction. Of course, all this applies only to men. The worst word the ladies ever use is "jo pytt ! " equivalent to our "l^shaw!" This they sometimes breathe through pout- ing lips to each other, but very rarely say in the presence of gentlemen. I will close this chapter on Swedish expressions by giving two answers of very simple folk, which, though spoken many years ago, have remained in my memory while much more learned talk has faded out of it. Once, at Gothenburg, two Dalecarlian peasant girls knocked at my door, and, opening their painted box, dis- played some very pretty hair-work in watch-chains, brace- lets, necklaces, and the like. I bought several pieces, and gave them a bill in j^ayment which they could not change. As I was driven with work at the time, I said, no doubt somewhat impatiently, " Run and change it." "Yes," laughed one of the girls, as she scud out of the room, "I'll springlike a tailless hen." What a healthy smack of her native barn-yard, far SOME SWEDISH EXPRESSIONS. 395 away among the dales, there was in this girl's speech. It has done me good every time I have thought of it since. The other answer 1 received one evening in the back- woods of Sweden. I was sitting at the door of a peasant's cot, watching the red sunset pale out of the distant sky beyond the wooded mountains. On the hill-side opposite was a large clearing, dotted with hundreds of stumps. The field was black, and the old, bleached stumps looked wan and spectral in the deepening twilight. A little girl, some twelve years old, was standing by my side. "Look, Selma!" said I, pointing to the myriad stumps. ' ' What if those were all ghosts, and all coming for you ? ' ' ' ' Oh ! ' ' she answered, with a smile, ' ' if there were so many, I should be accustomed to them, and not be scared at all." (396) CHAPTER XXXy. DINNERS AND BALLS. a3 SIMPLE, hearty, patriarchal hospitality pervades the social life of the Northland, coupled with a f^l| manly spirit that calls to mind the brave deeds of ^^^ the vikings. Should you visit any Swedish city, you will at once be welcomed to many homes and firesides, and so warm is the greeting of your hosts, so many kind things do they say, and so prettily do they thank you for the honor done their house by your presence, that you are at once placed entirely at your ease, and made to forget that you are "a stranger in a strange land." I am sure the grand flourish with which the gentlemen make their bows will excite your admiration and envy. Taking the proffered hand of the hostess in his, the gallant Swede brings his heels together with a "clack" like a cavalry-man, and bows low; then, resuming his erect military attitude, he takes a stride broadly at one side, clacks his heels together again, and makes a second profound obei- sance over the little hand he holds, which he now presses to his lips. Old-fashioned ladies, and young ladies in old-fashioned country jolaces, still drop a courtesy. There is a stately grace about this which reminds you of the minuet and the courtly dances of your grandmother' s time. My first exj^erience with the courtesy was a surprise. I had just taken the hand of a young girl to whom I was being pre- sented, when, with a sudden bob, the fair one seemed to sink bodily through the floor. Instinct was quicker than reason, and, in an effort to save her from dropj^ing into the cellar, I (397) 398 SWEDEN AND THE SWEDES. squeezed her hand with a warmth which I fear was more complimentary to my feelings than my discretion. On entering the dining-liall, you are surprised tliat every- body remains standing. There is the table spread and decorated, and there are the chairs grouped around it. Why don't these good people sit down? You begin to grow nervous. If you cast your eye around the room, you will notice in the corner aside-table, upon which stand three large cut-glass decanters filled with Swedish potato-whisky — brannvin. Around the decanters are grouped innumerable little plates containing bread (both wheat and rye), butter, vari- ous kinds of cheese (some old and strong), dark-red slices of smoked reindeer, anchovies, ruddy flakes of delicately smoked salmon, baby sausages, boiled shrimps, minute cutlets, caviare, craw-fish tails, mushrooms, crisp little rad- ishes, omelets, salt, raw ' ' delikatess ' ' herring (cut in diag- onal slices), bits of lobster, sliced cold meats, sardines, hot stewed sweet-breads, soused eels and salmon, thin slices of smoked sausage (fried), small pickled lampreys, pate defoie gras, smoked mackerel, fried stromming, small beef -steaks (with fried potatoes and onions), smoked goose breast, roast chestnuts, delicately smoked stromming (called bokling, which remind you of an Isle-of-Man kipper), reindeer tongues, herring salad, slices of raw salmon (upon which pepper, salt, sugar, and dill have been sprinkled, called gratiax, and which no one but a Swede can eat), liver, fried croquettes (with parsley), kidneys, meat-balls, smoked eels (cut in short sections), stufi'ed olives, pickles, raw oysters, cucumbers, salads, and the other multifarious delicacies of which the Swedes are fond. Just as you are finishing your enumeration, the hostess takes the oldest lady by the hand and smilingly leads her to the side-table. The other ladies follow. Each takes a piece of bread, spreads it; then, with a fork, prods round among the dishes, securing a tidbit here and there, as gingerly as a snipe probing about the marshy borders of a lake. DINNERS AND BALLS. 399 The ladies are very obliging and exj)editious about it. They quickly " fire and fall back," and now the gentlemen advance. This is a more formidable attack. Now, the decanters are assailed. Not even the silver labels hung around their necks and bristling with such awful inscrip- tions as renadt, i^omerans, and kummin, protect them from the onslaught. Glasses are filled, raised, clinked. " Skal! " cry these vikings of the nineteenth century, as they toss off their drams. " Half van gar " — "the half -glass goes " — says the host, as he fills up again; though, except in name, I could never see any difference between the size of the half and the whole glass. And now, two sly dogs in a corner are drink- ing terzen — the third — of a glass — which is always a bumper — while they ardently emphasize their burning de- sire for each other's good health. A glass of the light ale of the country is now served to all. A buzz of conversation fills the room. By this time, everybody has got acquainted and in good humor, and the company groups itself around the large dining-table and, standing for a moment in silent prayer, with folded hands, all make a low bow in unison, before taking their seats. Soon after, the host, looking around the table with a pleasant smile, offers the first toast, which is always: " Val- kommen till bords" — " Welcome to tlie board." Many courses are brought on, all well cooked and excel- lently served, and, nowhere in the world, can a man sit down to a better dinner than in Sweden. As you are a foreigner, your health will be proposed in an elaborate speech, in which you and your country will be praised and extolled in the most generous terms. After this, the host drinks a skal with each guest at table, in the exact order of their rank; and, between these regular healths, he upbraids all his guests because they are not skaling often enough with each other. At the close of the banquet, you will propose the health of the host and hostess in as nice a little speech as you can get up. Next, all rise, fold their hands, and bow again round the table. Then, everyone takes the hostess and host by the 400 SWEDEN AND THE SWEDES. hand and says, with simple gratitude, " Tack for maten " — " Tlianks for tlie repast." To which the host replies, " Val bekommet" — "May it agree with yon." And, a few days afterward, when you make your call on your entertainers, the first thing you say is: "Tack for sist" — "Thanks for the last time." When being entertained by the Swedes, it is liai'd to believe that the Northland is not a country rolling in wealth. Biit the Swedes are proud as Avell as hospitable, and, though they practice frugality in every-day life, yet, if they invite you to a dinner, they will treat you with a prodigality which is as lavish as it is charming. At family dinners, it is the beautiful custom of the Northland to have grace said by the youngest child that has learned to prattle. The little flaxen-haired one stands by the side of father or mother, and all bow their heads, while the child lisps with a clear sweet voice a little verse praying God to bless the food. And when the i^epast is finished, the same little one again stands and solemnly returns thanks. Among the poor, the meal may consist of nothing but herring and potatoes, or, perchance, in some lowly cot, of only porridge or gruel; but nowhere are more devout thanks returned to the Giver of all good for His bounties. Sometimes, when there are three or four young children in a family, they change about, each one having his day for saying grace, and each is very proud when his turn comes round. When large dinner-xsarties are given, however, or when a foreigner is invited home, this custom is generally put aside as too Swedish and simple. Simple it is indeed, but beautiful as well. It is only after dwelling many years among the Swedes, speaking their language, gaining their confidence, that you at last come to be regarded as one of them, and witness many sweet home observances that are kept from the ordinary tourist and stranger. The Swedes are very particular and exact in all matters of etiquette. An invitation to a dinner or ball is always DINNERS AND BALLS. 401 answered at once, on the same day it is received. After you have been entertained, you will "do the handsome thing " by making your call of acknowledgments within a couple of days, or, at all events, within the week. Should you post- pone it longer, you will be deemed guilty of a rudeness. The ladies are generally " not at home ' ' for merely formal calls, so you simj)ly leave your card, and, in this way, you can make many calls in an afternoon. I was once laughingly told by a Swede that, when the door-bell rings, the lady of the house sends a child or servant to look out of the window and see if the caller has a carriage. If he has, the answer is sure to be "• not at home. ' ' But few people in Stockholm keep carriages of their own. If you use a carriage in making your calls, you have probably hired it, and no Swedish lady would be unkind enough to occupy your time when it is costing you three crowns an hour. This was told me as a joke, of course, but I have always suspected there is a deal of truth in it. The young girls in society in Sweden are very shy, and modest, jjartly by nature and partly kept so by their mothers — brought up to be so. At parties, they cluster together in a particular room by themselves, like a covey of young i^artridges, and, around them, you will see all the young officers of the Swedish guard, in full uniform, if the ball be a large one, with their dancing-cards in hand, very eager and anxious to get them filled. When any dance is over, the girl is immediately brought back to the room whence she was taken, and her partner retreats with a bow. There are some parties and balls where royalty attends. Whenever this is the case, the royal family never comes at the commencement of the party; but always enters with a great flourish of trumpets when the ball has been in prog- ress an hour or so. Even if it be the middle of a dance, it stops instantly; everybody looks toward the door. The music breaks off the piece it was playing, strikes up a royal march, and — enter the King, Queen, and princes, preceded by their adjutants and followed by gentlemen-in-waiting and maids of honor. 26 402 SWEDEN AND THE SWEDES. Royalty never selects a partner to dance with beforehand. Yoa may have engaged a charming young girl early in the evening to dance with you, say the third waltz, and just as the music is striking up and you are about to offer your arm, up steps the adjutant of the Crown Prince, and, with a bow, says to the young lady, "His Royal Highness will be l^leased to dance this waltz with Froken X," when she smilingly takes his arm, and you are left to solace yourself as best you may. But, perhaps, later on, you may have your revenge, when the adjutant of the Crown Princess ap- pears before you, and, bowing, says, "Her Royal Highness will dance this polka with Herr Z," and, no matter if you are engaged to polka with the belle of the ball-room — if there can be any other belle when the Crown Princess is present — you must leave her and obey the royal edict. But you not only engage your partner for the dance, you also engage a gentleman to be your ois-d-vis in the square dances, generally for the whole evening. You will thus never be at a loss to know who is to dance opposite you, and the lioor-manager never has to go rummaging around the hall to find an opposite couple for some belated pair. Should you not happen to be acquainted with the iDartner of your vls- «-e/5, he always introduces you before the dance commences; and, at its close, all the couples advance until they meet, bow their acknowledgments, and thank the oj^posite couple for the honor of being permitted to dance with them. Royalty not only sends out for those whom it will dance with as partners, but also for those it will have as opposites. For instance, the adjutant of the Crown Princess will say to you, "Her Royal Highness wishes Herr Z to dance as ois-d- vis the next square dance, and Herr Z will be good enough to take for his partner, the Baroness So-and-so, ' ' and tlie partner you have engaged must be given up, and it is the Baroness So-and-so that must dance with you whether she likes it or not. The Swedes are excellent dancers. They make a busi- ness of it, and, during the long nights of winter, are con- stantly tripping the " light fantastic toe." DIBTNEES AMD BALLS. 403 They dance swifter and with more sxsirit than any other nation. The Swedisli waltz — a sort of half -gallop — is a be- wildering, whirling rush, in which all senses are lost in the poetry of the swiftest, keenest, music-timed motion. At the larger balls — such as the Amarant — the waltzers form in column, like a regiment of soldiers on the march. The column extends from foot to tox) of hall, and is three or four couples in width. It marches up the right side, and the four coux)les of each line, as they come to the top, file left and waltz down the vacant stri]3 of the hall to the bottom, where they take their x^laces at the foot of the regiment. Couple chases couple down the hall, swiftly as balls rolled down a bowling-alley. There is no time nor space to reverse, straight ahead you Avaltz for dear life. The next couple is close ux)on you; to hesitate is to be lost, and, if you can es- cape being tramj^led on and yet stop before you bring up against the wall, you are a lucky and a dexterous fellow. BELLINGE, SKANE, (404) CHAPTER XXXYI. BETROTHALS AND WEDDINGS. wm^iiB.'E young ladies of Sweden are guarded much more ^1 S closely than those of America, or of England. They //) If never attend any j^arty or place of amusement unless ^' a chaperon accompanies them, and never receive a gentleman at home exce^jt in the presence of father or mother, or some older married relative or friend. The Swedish youth, on matrimony inclined, must often wait for months before an opportunity occurs of saying a word to his fair one alone. At last, at some watering-place, or the skating-rink, or in the stormy whirl of the waltz, the long-coveted moment arrives. Surely, if any one is brave enough to ' ' pop the question ' ' in the midst of the galloping waltz, he deserves the fair. And if she be willing, and the parents as well, the young pair are at once betrothed in a much more public manner than Avith us. The youth gives the maid a plain gold ring, marked on the inside with his name and the date of the engagement. He places the ring on the third finger of her left hand; and, at the same moment, she slips a similar ring ui^on his finger. The engagement is then published in the newspapers, under its a^Dpropriate heading, in the same column with births, marriages, and deaths; and cards, on which are engraved simply the two names, are sent to all friends, who, in turn, send congratulations, frequently by telegraph. Then the parents of the maid give a large party in honor of the happy event, and the young folks are fairly, squarely, and firmly engaged; so firmly that — to the honor of Swedes let it be said — an engagement is rarely broken off among them. (405) A SWEDISH PEASANT BRIDE. C40B) BETROTHALS AND WEDDINGS. 407 The engaged couple often appear out together; if walk- ing, always arm in arm, and if strolling along with friends, the others always make haste to hurry by and walk in advance, saying, with a smile, "The betrothed always come last." Acquaintances nod signiticantly to each other as the pair pass by, and whisper "Nu aro de ute och profga'' — "Now they are out on a trial trip." Before the wedding, the bans are proclaimed by the priest in the parish church for three Sundays. These A BETROTHAL IN THE PROVINCE OF SKANE. (From a Painting by N. Simonsen.) lysning Sundays are regarded as in some sort preliminary wedding-days. Should an engagement be broken after the bans have been published, it is regarded much the same as a divorce. Now, the swain presents his sweetheart with some hand- some ornament^ — the lysnings present — and on each of these three Sundays the young pair hold a reception for 408 SWEDEN AND THE SWEDES. lioiTrs at the house of the bride. They stand up together and receive their friends. Wedding-presents are sent and displayed, and bouquets and telegrams of congratulation are showered upon them. When the wedding-day comes round, if it should rain, so much the better; the young couple will be sure to be rich. " Det regnar guld i brudkronan " — " It rains gold in the bride's crown" — cry all the guests. At a fashionable wedding in a cit}' church, the altar and choir are decorated with choice flowers and adorned with luxuriant tropical x^lants. The invited guests, frequently numbering several hundred, appear in full evening toilet. The organ strikes wp a wedding-march, and the bridal pro- cession enters through the main portal and passes up the nave. First comes the bride, led by her father, and followed by a long retinue of bridesmaids and groomsmen. The groom enters from the sacristy, accompanied by his best man. Meeting the bridal procession in the choir, the groom receives his bride from her father and joasses on with hei' to the altar, while the bridesmaids and groomsmen form in line behind them across the church. The bride is clad in white, with a long, white veil; on her head, she wears a crown of myrtle and orange blossoms, and she carries a bouquet of the same in her hand. The bouquet is surrounded with lace, and from it hang two long, broad, white ribbons, on which are stamped in letters of gold the maiden's name and the date of her wedding. The marriage ceremony according to the ritual of the Swedish church is an imposing one. The ring of plain gold plays an imj)ortant part in the service. It is inscribed on the inside with the initials of both bride and groom, and between them figures giving the day, month, and year of the wedding. The minister, holding the ring aloft, invokes the blessing of God upon the union of which it is the sym- bol in an affecting prayer. Then the bride and groom hold up the golden circlet together — the groom with his right, the bride with her left hand — and the groom says to his bride: BETROTHALS AND WEDDINGS. 409 " I take thee now to be my wedded wife, to love thee in need and joy, and as a token give I thee this ring." And the bride replies: "I take thee now to be my wedded man, to love thee in need and joy, and as a token receive I this ring." The groom now slips the ring on the same finger where before he had jjlaced the ring of his betrothal. And those two plain gold rings, placed side by side, the Swedish wife Avears as long as she lives, and no one Avill take them off her linger when cold and stiff in death ; they are bnried with her. Late one November, I took a run down to Gothenburg to attend the wedding of Fruken Emma, daughter of my old friend Doctor Hedlund, with Consul Svahn. At six o'clock, I drove around to the spacious new resi- dence of the Hedlunds, on Vasa street, and was welcomed into the midst of a happy family party gathered in the draw- ing-rooms. All at once was a sudden silence, then a little bustle of expectation, and in marches the bridal X)rocession. Ten bridesmaids and ten groomsmen preceded the happy couple. Tlie bridesmaids were all in white, of course, and carried bouquets, and each one of the groomsmen had a little green wreath on his breast; and the groom looked brave and the bride lovely, with a crown of myrtle and orange blos- soms on her head, and her long, white bridal- veil flowing down to the Hoor. Well, maids and groomsmen separated and sjjread out into two lines, and bride and groom walked to the apex of these converging rows of their retainers, and the parson stood up before them, and they were married and congratu- lated much as with us in the land of the free and the fair. When the verbal congratulations were over, one of the groomsmen opened and read some twenty telegrams of good wishes, and then folded them up and passed them all to the bridegroom. Soon after this, the twenty maids and cavaliers followed the wedded pair down to the door of their carriage, and gave them three hearty cheers as they drove away. Then came a bountiful stand-up supper, at which the nearest bachelor relative of the bride proposed the health 410 SWEDEN" AND THE SWEDES. of the father and mother of the groom in quite a long, set speech; and after this the brother of the groom, in a still longer s^^eech, proposed the very good health of the father and mother of the bride; and this same father, radical and defier of precedents tliat he is, unwarrantably broke into tlie regular order of things by proposing the health of "The Honored Guest;" and that individual, remembering there were tliree unmarried daughters, replied, in the best Swedisli he could muster, with a toast for the "Three Graces" who still were left to bless the old home. Now one of the groomsmen steins forth, and, in poetry which was both good and witty, gives the toast of "The Bridesmaids." How pretty the ten maidens looked as they drew together, and blushed and smiled at the nice little compliments in the poem, and held their bouquets a bit lower, and looked furtively at each other, and then smiled again and wondered — pretty little white doves — when their turn Avould come to play the first instead of tlie second part in such a joyous scene. Then our host offered the toast of ' ' The Groomsmen, ' ' and everybody laughed and chatted and had such a pleasant time till half-past ten, when we shook hands all round, and every gentleman told every girl what a sweet little thing- she was, to be sure, and the world was a fool if it allowed her much longer to remain single; and then we patted host and hostess and every member of the family on the shoulder, and were patted in return, and mutually told each other wliat dear old things we were, and departed laughing and happy. But this was a modern wedding in a cosmopolitan city. If you would see a real old-fashioned Swedish wedding, you must leave the town and go .out among the peasants. Sometimes, while driving along a country road in the south of Sweden, you may come ux^on a bridal procession on its way home from the ceremonies at the church. First come an escort of young men, all mounted on richly capari- soned horses, like a squad of cavalry, and all with flowers in their hats and bosoms. Among them, ride the spelman BBTEOTHALS AND WEDDINGS. 411 (the musicians), with hautboys, clarionets, and fiddles, vigorously playing a rustic wedding-march. The bride and groom, according to ancient custom, are also mounted on horses smartly decorated with leaves and flowers. They ride side by side, the bride with the crown upon her head. Then follows a long cortege of wedding- guests on horse, or driving in carriages and wagons. Many in the cavalcade carry guns, and shots are fre- quently hred along the route. In fact, the whole procession A BRIDAL PROCESSION IN THE COUNTRY. (From a Painting by J. W. Wallander.) wears a military air, and easily recalls the old, unriily times when an armed force of retainers was often necessary to prevent the bride from being seized and carried off by the sudden dash of some hostile clan. Arrived at the home of the bride, the procession marches under a triumphal arch of green boughs, and the young men ride three times furiously around a May-pole raised in the middle of the door-yard, amid the cracking of whips and firing of guns. 412 SWEDEN AND THE SWEDES. Then come the feasting and dancing. These are much more than a wedding-breakfast and a city ball, I can assure you. " Broil opet star i dagar tre " is the old saying; and for three days and three nights, without interruption, the happy company feast and sing and dance, and dance and feast and sing, till the old farm-house shakes with the lively steps of the revelers, and the welkin rings with their merry shouts. And the lusty Swedes are not always content with three days of dancing. One summer' s eve, while rowing in my boat along an island shore, I came upon a fellow sitting THE FIRST VISIT TO THE OLD FOLKS. (From a Painting by Bgt. Nordenberg.) on the door- step of a little red cottage by the water's edge, and fiddling away for dear life. ' ' Bravo ! old chap ! " I called out from the boat. ' ' Bravo ! You fiddle first-rate." "Oh, yes, that I do," he shouted back. "Had lots o' practice lately. Been fiddling for a wedding. ' ' ' ' Then you fiddled for three nights ? " " Three' nights ! " he echoed, somewhat contemptuously; "I'd have you understand this wasn't one o' yer common BETKOTHALS AND WEDDINGS. 413 sort o' weddin's; we danced four days and four nights, and one to boot Just for fun, we did." A pretty custom, still observed in the country districts, is att dansa kronan af bruden (dancing the crown off the bride). During the wedding festivities, the bride is blind- folded and placed in the middle of the room; the music strikes uj), and the bridesmaids, joining hands, dance in a ring around the bride until she takes off her crown and j)laces it hap-hazard on the head of one of her maids. And this lucky girl will surely be the hrst of all the throng to wear a crown of her own at her own wedding. GODMOTHER'S VISIT. (From a Painting by J. F, Hockert.) No Swedish maid will be married without she wears a crown. This is generally of myrtle, but in some provinces it is of gold or silver gilt. She wears the crown only for a few short hours, it is true, but for that little space the blue- eyed, sunny-haired girl of the Northland is queen. Old Swedish chronicles speak of the bride waiting to receive her groom "with honor's crown upon her head and virtue's pearls about her breast." A friend of mine once met a 414 S'R^EDEN AND THE SWEDES. peasant girl among the emigrants who were traveling in tlie cars to the Swedish coast to take steamer for America. As her dearest treasure, she carried a- little myrtle plant in a flower-pot. ' ' For you know, ' ' said the girl, naively, ' ' I may meet some good man in the New World who will marry me, and then I must ha\'e myrtle from my native land for my bridal crown." CHAPTER XXXVIL EIDER- SHOOTING. -T is wonderful how far you must shoot ahead of wild fowl Hying past you, in oi-der to hit them. I find that firing from six to ten feet ahead, as they come whizzing ^ by, bowls them over most surely. That is to say, in cross shots, you never shoot at the bird where he is, but where yon think he is going to be when your shot reaches his line of flight. Now this is a very pretty problem, and there are several factors entering into it — rate of flight of bird, distance ofi', rate of flight of shot, and last, and by no means least, the personal equation, that is, length of time elapsing between your making up your mind to pull trigger and your actiuiUy pulling it. This period is but the fraction of an instant, I know, but it is a most important fraction. It difl:ers in different individuals, according as they are quick or slug- gish: so no one can tell you how to shoot on the wing, you must learn for yourself, and it differs with yon, my friend, on different mornings, according as you are weak, cold, dis- pirited, and nervous, or active, bright, cheerful, and confi- dent. Perhaps, not thinking of this, may account for your shooting so villainously at times. So the problem of shooting on the wing is a mixed one of mathematics, instinct, and guess-work, and a very inter- esting and puzzling enigma it is; and if you think you can solve it correctly every time, just try wild-fowl shooting on the coast of Sweden, or America, or anywhere else for that matter. Some mornings you will feel well and shoot well, and you can be proud of it; but the very next morn, like enough, (415) ""^j^^\m\m THE EIDER. (416) EIDEK-SnOOTING. 417 will convince you that yours was the pride that "goeth before destruction, ' ' not of ducks, but of all your hopes of shooting them. Yet, after all, is it not this verj' uncertainty of whether you are going to shoot like a man or a fool, that gives zest to the sport, and doubles the joy of a good shot, when you do make it 'i On one thing I think all sportsmen will agree, and that is, in duck-shooting, you must hold about twice as far ahead as in shooting land-birds, and this for two good reasons: First. The ducks fly much faster than the birds we are accustomed to shoot on land; some species of wild fowl flying from seventy to ninety miles an hour, faster than any express train in the world. Second. Wild fowl, seen over the great expanse of ocean or lake, are always farther off than they look, so it takes the shot longer to reach them. These reflections I make while lying within the shelter of my skare, of a calm April morning, and looking out over the Baltic. A year has rolled by since first I set foot on Langvikskar; now April has come again, and with it the great flight of eider to the North, and 1 am here to meet them, that is, if they will come. But when the birds don't fly, and you have got your fill of looking far awaj^ over the great blue wet floor of the world, I know of no place for reflection like the little shelter of poles, and homespun, and sea- weed, and drift-wood, you lie behind out of sight of the ducks. I can not say your reflections are always wise; if they were, there would be no place on earth so good to write a book in as the skare. Given a skare, a stenograjpher, and no ducks and — presto, change — the book is out of your head and in your hand. What a world of bother this method of book-making would save! I often regretted that Franz was not a short-hand reporter; for, I am sure, as we lay on the outer ledges, horn- after hour, in the keen, bright mornings of spring, and 27 418 SWEDEN AND THE SWEDES. talked conlidentially in a low voice, so as not to scare away imaginary ducks flying in from some hypothetical point of the compass— I am sure, I repeat, we occasionally uttered words of wisdom, or at least had wise thoughts, that it is a great pity the world should forever lose. But, seriously, did you ever, after returning from an outing, try to write down the stalwart thought that struck you like a flash in the open air, as you rambled through the deep woods, or sat by the open sea? What a puny, sickly weakling does that thought become in the quiet, shut-up, comfortable stillness of your study! The bloom, the power, and the scope of the thought is left outdoors with the fresh air that gave it birth. And now a solution of the difficulty strikes me. If you can not take your thoughts home, why not take pencil and note-book along with you in your forays into nature? Is not this the secret of the power and truth of the writings of Thoreau and the ever- wider hold they are taking on the hearts and minds of men, that he wrote in his walks, alone, in the open air, face to face, and heart to heart with nature, which is ever truth? But then, for the very best open-air writing, I think I should stipulate for a little warmer weather than this April morning, for my lingers are so numb that I can not hold a pencil, and I have just been sliding and dancing on a little pool that froze over last night, while Franz improves the opportunity of my recklessly showing myself to all duck- dom by running round the little circle of our rock like a horse in a circus-ring. No sportsman is so dependent on the weather as the duck-shooter, and nowhere, methinks, is April so fickle as on the Baltic. Tarnskar is the best point among the islands; but the wind must be westerly, and not too heavy, or you might just as well lie in wait for eider on the market-place at Stockholm. One morning I had made great preparations for Tarnskar; but, before we had rowed half the three miles' distance, the wind chopped round from the north, and Tarnskar became EIDEK-SHOOTING. 419 impossible, so we landed on Svarte Knol. We were too early on the "black knob," and were forced to wait awhile in that darkest night which precedes the dawn, before it was light enough to see where to set out our decoys. In the gloom, I heard a rustle of wings overhead, a shape like a bat swept by. I fired into the darkness, more by sound than sight, but a thud on the rock told us something had fallen. Carlson ran over the knol and returned with a storskrake, as he called it, the great merganser, or goosander — Mergus merganser. It was a gaudy drake, and we could admire his beautiful plumage even in the faint twilight of early dawn. This was not a good morning, however. I bagged but a pair of eider, and at seven, we pulled home. After breakfast, the wind hauled to northwest. This would do for Tiirnskar, so we jumped into the boat and pulled off. Snow-squalls pelted us all the way, and just after we reached the rock, a blinding snow-gust struck us, and we were glad to crouch under the shelter of a cliff. Til en follows a perfect calm; the snow ceases, and now comes a breath of air from the southwest. Carlson sets the vettar off the point, frightening away great flocks of eider that might have flown within gunshot had they not seen Carlson pulling about in his boat. Then he rows in and we lie down in our blind, but not an eider is to be seen. Soon it snows again, and the round white pellets rattle down as if they would bury us. Now the wind puft's up from the northeast, and quickly lashes the water into a chop. The breeze suddenly increases to a gale, and the waves break over the decoys. We launch the boat, Carlson at the oars backs down upon our stuffed birds, and I pull them in, sav- ing them with difficulty. Then it blows as if all the fiends of air had been let loose; the waves break on the point, and the flying spray drives us out of the skare; we grope our way in the blinding snow and sleet and spray to the shelter of the nearest rock hummock, and wait to see what is going to turn up next. We are not particularly comfortable where we are, but we decidedly prefer it to being swamped in the gale while pulling for home. 420 SWEDEN" AND THE SWEDES. Whenever it lights up for a bit, we can see great squad- rons of eider — twenty, forty, and fifty in a flock — flying by outside. Wild geese go by, too; and one great troop of swans, drawn out — single file — in a long line just over the water, winged its way majestically north. A ray of slant sunlight broke through the clouds, and the white line of SAvans shone for a moment like silver against the dark sky; and these great Hocks of birds are flying past right in the teeth of a howling northeaster. Sjoblom' s theory that the eider are waiting for pleasant vi^eather and a southwest wind for their flight does not "hold water," to speak aquatically. The fact is, eider, geese, and all flight-birds migrate on certain dates, and are nearly as exact about it as is the sun in his course. I do not presume the wild fowl are furnished with almanacs or cal- endars by life-insurance companies or the makers of patent medicines, but they know the dates for all that; and when their time is up, migrate they do, no matter what the weather is, rain or shine. I was so much occupied with these migratory reflections that I did not observe the gale was abating, until Carlson called my attention to it. We waited yet a little longer, till it began to grow dark, then ventured to launch our boat, and had the good-luck to pull safely home, the spray dashing over irs the whole way, and freezing on our rubber coats as soon as it struck. Next morning, Fru Sjoblom did not steal in, candle in hand, to wake me. The shrieking gale which rocked the house loudly proclaimed the reason. I was glad of it, and hauling the blankets up close, turned over and went to sleep again. When I arose at the very late hour of six, the windows were frosted over, and scrai^ing a hole through the ice to the pane, I could see that the little gut to the northeast of the cove was partly frozen. The Celsius thermometer at Carl- son's, the only one on the island, stood at a degree equal to 10° below freezing, Fahrenheit. A lovely s^^ring morning indeed, this 14th of April. The northeast gale shrieked EIDER-SHOOTING. 421 and tore by all day. I am sure the Swedes would call it a blizzai^d, if they only knew the word. Everybody keeps in- doors that can. Overhead, I hear the regular clatter and bang of the loom as Ingeborg, with busy hands and feet, weaves stuff for summer dresses for her mother and herself. She seems to be driving a sort of opposition to the gale. Now and again I see some fate-driven islander appear on the cliflf, muffled up to his eyes with comforters, and on his hands great wliite mittens, with two thumbs, one on each side, hanging out like ears on a donkey; or a woman passes by, with the same donkey mittens on, and a black woolen shawl wound round her head, so that only her eyes are seen between the folds, like the Turkish lady of the harem. But they scud quickly indoors again, and beautiful spring is left all alone outdoors with her northeaster. The morning after, I had my revenge. The Avind had backed in to northwest, and though it blew strongly, and the thei'mometer Avas still down to 10° below freezing, I took Franz and his young cousin, Fridolf, and pulled to Kalkskiir, in the southern skargard. Soon after we had set out our vettar, they looked oddly enough. Icicles formed on their bills and hung down to the water, so as they rode the wavelets they seemed to be continually prodding about with proboscides of ice. Their bodies, too, became glazed over with icy armor, all but the breast, where the ripples broke. The eider flew well all the morning, despite the cold, and we rowed home with fourteen in the boat. The eider-duck is a modest brown bird, but the drake is a great gaudy fellow, grand in his feathers of white and black, buff, yellow, and green; but his gay feathers are his ruin. His bright colors inevitably attract the eye, and as a flock sweejis by, it is invariably at the drakes you shoot. Look over your birds after a morning's outing, and you will find the drakes outnumber the ducks four to one. The ducks and drakes look so unlike that the people of the skargard have given different names to them. If I shot the brown dame of a j)air, Franz would cry out, ' ' You' ve 422 SWEDBN AND THE SWEDES. got an ada; " but if it were the drake that tumbled, it was, "The gudunge is down." The eider generally fly in pairs in the spring. There may be a large flock of them, to be sure, but you can easily divide it into the jDairs that make it up. As a flock flies along in line, the brilliant parti-colored drakes alternate with the brown ducks, and at a distance the troop looks like a beautifully variegated string of beads. You will soon notice that it is the ada that flies first, and the gudunge, like an obedient husband, always follows after. Should you row upon a couple on the water, it is always the duck that first takes the alarm and first flaps away. When a pair fly in to the decoys, if you kill the gudunge and miss the ada, she will fly away in as straight a line as ever duck or crow described, and you will never see that bird again. Should it be the ada that lies dead, however, the gudunge will turn and fly back over his fallen mate — once, twice, and generally three times — unless sooner shot down. Does the drake have more affection, or is he more stupid than his spouse '. Perhaps the dear ducks of our own genus can tell us. It may have been these characteristics Franz had in his mind when, looking at the birds flying bj^ one morning, he oracularly uttered: "Birds have no thought, but they have their nature;" and, by the way, do you recollect hearing any better or shorter definition of the difi:erence between instinct and reason than this ? I once, however, saw a drake with his aft'ectionate dis- position knocked out of him. As a pair of eider flew by, I fired at each. The gudunge drops, the ada flies on. In a moment, the ada falls dead into the water with a loud splash. Whereat, Mr. Gudunge raises his head, looks around, takes in the situation, and flies ofl: as unfeelingly as a duck. Lying in the skare, you never can tell what will come next. I just shot a dusky bird that much resembled a crow, excej)t that it had web-feet and two verjr long middle tail-feathers. It is, in fact, a sort of little black gull. Old EIDER-SHOOTING. 423 man Oman calls it a labb, and I find it to be the sharp tailed sea-mew — Lestrls parasitica verse in the " Skeleton in Armor : " It brings to mind a " Should not the dove so white Follow the sea-mew's flight? Why did they leave that night Her nest unguarded?" In the skargard, there is always something stirring. A moment ago, a guillemot buzzed along on quick-throbbing pinions; noAv, five old squaws in a row skim like billiard- balls over the smooth table of the sea. '<-. 'f the Baltic and Ny^.,-!^ i;^../ seas to Visby. Nearly "every nation and faith of Northern Europe built its own house of worship at tliis prosperous port. Sixteen great churches — some of them almost two hundred feet in length — and three monasteries were erected, and their lofty towers and spires overlooked the busy commerce of the town. A massive wall of stone, thirty feet high and nearly two and a, 30 ST. NIKOLAUS. 466 S\VKDKN AND THE SWEDES. half miles long, was built around the citj'. Forty-eight lofty towers rose above this girdle of rock, and, from tower to tower, along the walls, paced armed sentries to and fro by day and night. Visby became the chief emporium of the J^orth. She was Queen of the Baltic, even as Venice was Queen of the Adiiatic Sea. Visbj' was, in fact, in the thirteenth century, what London is to-day. the most important commercial city of Northern Euroi)e. How large a population Visby had, can not be accurately ascertained. The old chronicles state that the number of merchants alone residing within the walls was twelve tlujusand. The halls of their giiilds were sumptuously furnished, and, within them, the pilgrims and travelers were entertained with a loyal hospitality. All mechanics and artisans, save only bakers and goldsmiths, resided in two suburbs without the wall. So rich did the inhabitants become, that the doors of many of the private houses Avere made of copi;)er, and the window-frames gilt with gold. An old ballad tells us that — " Guld viiga du Gular pa lispunds-vag, Och spela med iidlaste sfeuar. Svinen iita iir silfvertrag', Och liustrunia spiuna pa guld-teuar." * And this Queen City of the North was not only rich, but was of such commanding commei'cial importance that she gave out a code of sea-laws, which were followed and ol:)eyed throughout Northern and Western Europe— from the ports of Russia to the Mediterranean, In fact, the maritime code of Visby forms much of the ground-work of the admiralty law of the world to-day. During the twelfth century, the merchants from all countries residing at Visby formed a league, whose decrees and ordinances were obeyed l\v all the Hanse towns. Out * " The Gotlanders weigh their gold with twenty-pound weights, And play with tlie choicest jewels. The pig.s eat out of .silver troughs, And the women spin witli golden distaffs." C.q.Kell((viit '-f. -^-. ■^d^siSSsf' VALDEMAR ATTERDAG LAYS VISBY UNDER TRIBUTE ( Central ^,oup from Hellquisfs great Pamtir,^ drawn on wood by the artist h„„self ) (467) 468 SWEDEN AND THE SWEDES. of this league of Visby grew tlie mighty Hanseatic league, of which Visby was a leading member, which, at one time, embraced eighty-one cities, and was powerful enough to do battle with kings. The vast riches of this thriving city excited the cupidity of Valdemar Atterdag, King of Denmark. He landed with an army on the coast of Gotland. The proud burghers of Visby advanced to meet him. A pitched battle was fought just outside the walls, and the forces of Visby were defeated, with a loss of eighteen hundred slain. The city then opened its gates to the victor. But to show that he had conquered Visby with the sword, and not by capitulation, Valdemar tore down a jjortion of the wall, and, through the wide breach, marched his army in battle array into the town. The chronicles relate that Valdemar set out upon the great market-place the three largest ale-vats to be found in the city, and commanded that they should be filled with gold and silver within three hours. The terror-stricken inhabit- ants trooped to the torg, bearing their money and their treasures, and in less than three hours, the three great tubs were filled full. But the rapacious conqueror was not satisfied with this tribute. As soon as it was paid and secured, he mercilessly plundered houses and magazines, churches and cloisters, gaining an enormous booty. This was in 1361. From that time, dates the decline of this great trade-center of the North. Not singly do misfortunes fall upon either individuals or cities. Some thirty years after the sacking of Visby by Valdemar, the Mongolian hordes, under Tamerlane, invaded Russia. They destroyed the city of Astrakhan, where the Volga fiows into the Casj^ian Sea, and thus cut off from Gotland the greater portion of the rich traffic of the Orient. A centnry later, in 1498, six years after the discovery of America, a new^ roiite to India was found by sailing around the Cape of Good Hoi^e. Tliis was an easier road for the commerce of the East than overland across Russia, and so trade floated around the southern cape of Africa, and deserted the Baltic and Visby. GOTLAND AND THE ANCIENT CITY OF VISBY. 469 At six o'clock on the afternoon of May 22, 1885, I sailed from Stockholm in the steamer Gotland, bound for Visby. We cast off punctually to the minute, and friends along the quay waved us farewell with their handkerchiefs as only Swedes can wave. Our course at first was not out into the Baltic, but in the opposite direction — uj) the Malar Lake. Spring, so welcome to the Northland, was just bursting into life. The tiny, first foliage of the year floated around the white branches of the birch-trees like a fine, yellow-green mist. STREET OF ST. HANS IN VISBY. (From a Painting by G. W. Palm.) Soon we sailed by the King's hat. Here, on a cliff over the lake, is erected a huge iron hat on a pole, for here, the sagas say, is the spot where King Olaf, when closely pressed, spurred his gallant horse to the frightful leap of a hundred feet into the water below. In safety, King and horse reached the opposite shore, leaving behind to their baffled enemies only the King's hat, which had fallen upon the cliff. 470 SWEDEN AND THE SWEDES. At eight o'clock, we reached the town of Sodertelje, and, passing the lock and short canal through which the Malar Lake finds an artificial outlet to the sea, steamed out among the islands of the Baltic. Not till near midnight does the steamer pass Landsort and push out upon the open sea. Eefore this time, the sea- sick voyager has prudently turned in, and he may arise with safety at seven next morning; for the steamer is then quietly moored alongside the quay of Visby. A sleepy hotel-bo}'^, with a long, red-nosed man in black to help him, took my bag to the hotel, showed me a room, and instantly disappeared. Unable to find or rouse any- body to whom to communicate my earnest longing for coffee and breakfast, I wandered out on a desultory stroll, which, after all, is the best method of making your first acquaintance with a new city. Great numbers of starlings were bobbing and Avaddling about the paved streets as awk- wardly as crows. The leaves on the trees were much larger than at Stockholm. Spring was a week, x^erhaps a fort- night, fax'ther advanced than there. Dandelions in full bloom were streAvn about the grass-plots like a shower of gold. Tulips of many colors bloomed in the gardens. The smell of flowers was in the air. A bee went droning by; ah! summer had come to this favored isle. An old wall of gray stone stands directly across the street in front of me. The wall is pierced with an arched passage-way. An ancient burgher — all in black and with an ancient black hat rolled wp at the sides and projecting fore and aft — appears, walking through the arch as natu- rally as though he were a part of it. To my question he answers, ' ' Lilla strand- j)orten " — " Little strand-portal. ' ' Outside the ]Dortal, by the sea, fishermen were drying their nets, hung in festoons across horizontal poles. The city- wall here runs parallel to the sea and but a short distance from it. I pass a lofty tower, which boys at play call Krut- tornet — the powder-tower — and reenter the town by ' ' Great strand-portal." A tree-shaded walk — the students' allee — runs along the inside of the wall toward the northwest. From Hsrper'fl I I r t I hers. CATHEDRAL OF ST. MARIA. (471) 472 SWEDEN AND THE SWEDES. Comfortable green benches are placed at intervals, and throuuli an embrasure one looks out upon the sea. Near by, was a handsome park and garden, and a thriv- ing plantation of mulberry-trees. Here, too, was a new restaurant, built like a villa. On its wide veranda, I enjoyed a good breakfast, and the steaming cup of coffee for Avhich I had been longing. During a portion of the day, I was fortunate enough to have for my cicerone^ Prof. C. J. Bergman, the learned historian of Gotland, to whom I am indebted for many of the facts of this chapter. Together we wandered among th« ruined churches of Visby. Of its seventeen churches, only one — the cathedral of St. Maria — is in use to-day. Ten others are standing, but in ruins. In grandeur and beauty of architectural design, they will compare not unfavorably with many of the ruined churches and abbeys of England and Scotland. One of the most beautiful is St. Katarina, the cloister church of the Franciscan monks. It is a basilica, one hundred and forty feet long, and was built in the middle of the thirteenth centuiy. Between the nave and the aisles, stand twelve octagon pillars, six on either side. The roof of the church has long since fallen in, but the six pointed arches wliicli supported it still remain. They spring from each pair of pillars and sj^an the space between with arched Gothic lines. Looking up the nave, you can not but admire the deli- cate tracery of these fine arches, as, over the long vista, one after the other vaults athwart the blue sky, and the effect is heightened by the arched windows at the end of the choir. Side by side stand the sister churches of St. Lars and St. Drotten. They were built as early as the twelfth century, and, if one may believe the tradition, by two sisters. These were rich and sj^iteful, and hated each other so warmly that they could not worship together in the same temple. So each built her own church, and there worshiped in i)eace and happiness. How they managed it after they got to heaven is not related. £ ;t (473) 474 SWEDEN AND THE SWEDES. White doves were wheeling about and alighting beneath the shelter of the crumbling vaults of St. Lars. Its walls are seven and a half feet thick, and contain within them many narrow passage-ways and galleries, some going round the entire church. Doctor Bergman sent a small boy to run through these galleries, and as he kept alternately aijpearing at vaulted openings, vanishing into the wall and again appearing, I could imagine how attractive it must have been in the olden time, when a procession of priests and boys, clad in rich vestments, and chanting as they marched, wound slowly round the church — now seen through a vaulted arch- way, now lost in the wall of the sanctuary, their chant dying away within the wall, and bursting forth with full power as the head of the brilliant procession came again into view. Each church has a massive square tower, which, doubt- less, at one time, was used as a fortress. The tower of St. Dr often is thirty-one by forty-live feet on the ground, it rises to the height of one hundred and twenty feet, and its walls are eight and a half feet in thickness. Helge-ands kyrka, or the Church of the Holy Ghost, was built about the year 1250. It is composed of an octagonal tower joined to an oblong rectangular choir. The tower is divided into two stories. Each story looks out upon the choir, through a sj^acious arched opening; so that a service going on in the choir could be seen and heard equally well in both stories of the tower. The vaulted ceiling of the lower story is sujaported by four octagonal pillars, and between them, in the center, is an eight-sided aperture, seven feet in diameter, piercing the ceiling and communi- cating with the second stoiy. In the upper story are four round pillars supporting a vault, and arches slightly pointed. The arches below are round. The first story is in no sense a crypt, as it is entirely above ground. I doubt if there is another church of this peculiar architecture in the world. The reason of this construction is not known. Con- nected with this church, however, were hospitals where the From Harper'i Magazine. Copyright, 1888, by Harper i Brother., HELGE-ANDS KYRKA. (475) 476 SWEDEN AND THE SWEDES. sick wei'e tenderly cared for by the Sisters of Mercy, and it is surmised that the second story in the tower may have been built for their use, since here these pious women, whose vows had separated them from the world, might attend upon the services of the sanctuary, without fear of any curious eye intruding ni^on their privacy. We ascended to the top of the tower. It was overgrown with a thicket of bushes; among them, shooting up out of the ruin, was a tree some twelve feet in height. At its foot was placed a little wooden bench. Sitting down under the shade of the aerial tree, we gazed out over the quiet city, its stately ruins, and the sleeping, yet majestic, sea. Passing through a garden, we came upon "St. Niko- laus," themonastery church of the Dominicans. This church was built about the year 1240. It is a basilica, sixty-five feet broad and one hundred and ninety-nine feet long. The round and pointed arch are used indiscriminately, and aj)pear side by side in window and portal. A wide-spread- ing walnut-tree stood near the southern wall of the struct- ure, and thrust its branches through an emjDty Gothic window. Grape-vines clambered along the ruin. High up on the west gable end, which overlooks the sea, are two large rose- windows; or, rather, window-like depres- sions, for they do not penetrate through the Avail. The saga is still told that, in the time of Visby's magnificence, two huge carbuncles, of priceless value, adorned the western facade of St. Mkolaus, one being placed in the center of each rose-window. At night, these carbuncles shone with the brightness of the sun at noonday, and served as guiding-lights to storm- tossed mariners far out on the Baltic wave. Twenty-four soldiers stood constantly on guard to watch these ruddy gems, the most precious possessions of the church, and no one, on pain of death, might approach the sanctuary after the going down of the sun. But when King Valdemar sacked the town, he tore these sparkling jewels from the wall, and placed them on board the largest ship of his fleet, together with the gold and (477) 478 SWEDEN AND THE SWEDES. silver and the sacred vessels and other booty of which he had despoiled the churches. But God, in His wratli, followed this profaner of His temples. Scarce had Valdemar put to sea, when a great storm arose. Tlie shiij bearing the sacred spoils was wrecked, and sunk, with all her ill-gotten booty, near tlie Karls Islands, just ofT the coast of Gotland. The King himself was saved with difficulty, and taken on board another ship. And to this day, when a calm broods over the quiet sea, a strange, weird, ruddy light often comes welling up from the depths of the Baltic, and spreads far and wide over the mirror-like face of the waters. And the Gotland hsher, drying his nets on the shore, looks out over the watery plain, illumined by "the light that never was on sea or land,"" and knows that the sacred lost jewels of the church are now shining from the cavern- ous depths of ocean. We strolled through the town. Tlie streets are narrow and crooked, and paved with rough stones. Some of the dwelling-houses of the old Hanse merchants are still stand- ing. They are narrow and lofty. They stand, for the most part, with their gable ends toward the street, and the front of the peaked roof is built up like a double flight of steps that meet on top. Sometimes a vaulted passage-way is thrown aci'oss the narrow street, from house to house, like the " Bridge of Sighs" over the canal at Venice. These old liouses, by their size and spacious apartments, indicate the opulence of their builders. They have vaulted ceilings — supported by short, massive, stone pillars — marble seats in the recesses of the windows, and, across the cellar floor, flows, to this day, a stream of living water, which, by little dams, was transformed into a succession of flsh-ponds. The roofs of some of these dwellings are still covered with the ancient monk and nun tiles. Near the center of the city, stands an interesting wooden house of a later period — the Burmeister House, built by a merchant of that name, in 1G62. A spacious salon, in the second story is painted all over — walls, ceiling, and beams — GOTLAND AND THE ANCIENT CITY OF VI.SBY. 479 with scenes, many of tlieni from the Bible, bnt some from the artist's own fancy. A cocli — tlie herald of vigilance — is portrayed near the large fire-place, doubtless as a warning to careless servants, that they must be watchful with tire. Outside, you may see the lid, now raised to a perpen- dicular, and forming part of the wall of the house, but which used to be let down on its hinges to a horizontal level, and so became the counter projecting into the street, over which goods were sold by the proprietor, remaining inside his house, to customers standing in tlie highway. Copyrigbt, 18b8, by Harper & Brothera, THE BURMEISTER HOUSE. The southern gable end of this house is completely covered by a dense mass of ivy. Holes for the windows have been cut through this luxuriant green wall. In places, the ivy is two or three feet in thickness, and, not content with fastening itself all over the end of the house, the vine has put forth great loose branches, which sway like tree- tops in the wind. The presence of this ivy here called to mind its complete absence in all the region round about Stockholm, and was another proof of the mild climate of this sea-girt isle. 480 SWEDEN" AND THE SWEDES. In one respect, Visby is like the city of Quebec. It has a lower and an upper town. A steep cliff, or klint, one hun- dred feet high, runs nearly jJarallel to the shore and quite close to it. Visby is built partly on the low land near the sea, and partly on top of the klint. Very steej) zigzagging streets, and, in some places, steps cut in the rock, lead from the lower to the upper town. From the harbor-side, at the southwest end of Visby, the old town-wall climbs the steep hill, passes the fortress of Visborg, and runs east to the south gate. The wall then turns and runs northeasterly, and neaidy parallel with the shore about a mile, past the east gate, to the north portal. Here the wall curves to the northwest and descends the hill- side to the tower "Games" close by the sea. At this tower, the wall makes a right angle and runs southAvesterly along the sea and harbor to our starting-point near the fortress of Visborg. The land- wall, which incloses the city on three sides, from the ruins of Visborg round to the tower "Games," is two thousand four hundred yards long, and the sea-wall, on the fourth side, one thousand nine hundred and seventy yards long. The original wall was about twentj^ feet high, battle- mented, and probably without towers. It was undoubtedly built eaily in the thirteenth century, although no one knows the exact date. In 1289, the burghers of Visby began to strengthen the land-wall. They built on to it upon the inside until it was six and a half feet in thickness. They raised it to thirty feet in height, and added the towers. This great Avork occupied ten years, and was finished in 1299. On the sea-side — especially along the harbor — large sections of the wall are torn down; but, on all sides looking out upon the land, the wall is generally in good condition, and would need but few repairs to make it as strong as ever. In two places only is the land-wall battlemented. For the most part, it is finished off with large, tall, flat stones, placed like rafters, slanting upward to a point, and thus roofing in the wall. 81 (481) 482 SWEDEN" AND THE SWEDES. At intervals of about two liundred and sixty feet, all along the Avails, stand the high towers. They project out- side the wall. Most of them are square on the ground; but, above, jjresent live sides of an octagon to the foe, the square corners being sliced off into independent faces. The whole side toward the town is open. These towers are sixty to seventy feet high, and are divided into four or five stories. The walls of each story are pierced with narrow embrasui'es for arrows. The top of the towers are battlemented, and on their ujDper floors, or roofs, catapults were placed in posi- tion. The towers are of unequal size; that next the north gate, toward the sea, is thirteen feet broad by sixteen feet deep, in the inside, and its side walls are seven feet thick. The powder-tower is thirty-four feet square, on the outside. Half-way between the high towers were built bartizans, or "saddle-towers," as the Gotlanders expressively call them. These small, low structures are not built up from the ground, but sit astride the wall like saddles. Many have toppled over and cariied considerable sections of the wall with them in their fall. Near the top of the wall, along the inside, square holes have been left between the stones, at short distances from each other and in a horizontal line. In these holes were inserted wooden beams. Upon them rested a wooden plat- form, along which, in the olden time, the sentinels of Visby paced their lofty rounds in sunshine and storm. Three portals pierce the wall on the land-side. They are called the south, east, and north gates. A massive tower rises above each portal. These gates are, in fact, vaulted passage-ways through the lower story of great square towers. Grooves in the sides of the portal show where the portcullis fell, and, on projections outside, rested, of old, the draw-bridge. Streets pass through each gate- way from the city to the country. A wide moat runs around the outside of the entire wall, and to the north there were at least two, perhaps three, moats parallel with each other. In the afternoon, I took a stroll to the castle of Visborg. But a few crumbling fragments are left of this once mighty G<;)TLAND AND THE ANCIENT CITY OF A'ISBY. 483 fortress; but, as I stood among them on the high cliff over- looking the Baltic, it was easy to build again the castle in imagination, rising grandly, with its seven towers gay with waving banners and fluttering pennants. At one time, the palace of a king; at others, the strong- hold of freebooters and pirates. Here ' ' Many a wassail-bout Wore the long winter out." From Harper's Macazine. Copyright, 1868, by Harper A Brotbera, RUIN OF FORTRESS OF VISBORG. One of its towers was named " Kik-ut"—" Look-out;" another " Sluk-upp"—" Swallow-up." On a third stood this inscription in old Swedish — " Pitt ttamii« M ^IncJatn (Sra, ia v'6v tttio d|, mm im miij $ti"* * " My name is Blacken Gray, So touch me not, but let me stay." 484 SWEDEN AND THE SWEDES. From the top of another tower in the west corner hung an iron basket. Here blazed at night a beacon -light for mariners. The colosseiim became the quarry which furnished the Roman princes, for centuries, with the stone for their palaces; and, in like manner, the walls of the grand old castle of "Visborg have been pulled down, i:)iece-meal, and burnt in kilns near by, to furnish lime for modern dwell- ings. The lime used in building the royal palace at Stock- holm was made from the stones in Visborg's Avails. I continued my walk around the outside of the ancient wall . Of the forty-eight high towers, thirty-eight are still standing in almost perfect preservation. One is used to- day as a state prison. A cheap, wooden, pointed roof has been placed on another, which is utilized as a store-house for hay. A third, by the water-side, serves as a powder- house. Every tower has its name and its history. The powder- tower was called, of old, " Silf verhattan " — "Silver-cap" — from its shining roof, now replaced with dull tiles. ' ' Caesar " ' is the high-sounding name of the prison-house. On the sea-side, next corner tower " Games," rises " Jnng- f ru Tornet" — ' ' The Maiden' s Tower. ' ' In this, we are told, a luckless maiden was immured in the most exact and brutal sense of the word: literally built into the wall of the tower bj^an outraged populace. For she, it was, who betrayed the city to her lover. King Valdemar, the Dane. A strictly mythical maiden is she, but she answers the purpose of a scape-goat, on whom the burghers of Visby could throw the blame of their defeat, and the conquest of their city. As I walked along the eastern wall, I came upon a bastion, ]5rojecting like a loop nearly acx'oss the moat, and pierced with wide embrasures. Beyond, at intervals, were two other similar bastions, one of which looped in a well. Strolling across level green fields, I reached the stone cross raised by King Valdemar to mark the burial-place of eighteen hundred citizens of Visbj^ whom he slew in the battle that decided the fate of the city. The cross stands From Harper's Ma^aj Copyright, 1888, by Harper & Brothers. ST. NIKOLAUS CHURCH, INTERIOR. (485) 486 S«'EDE]\" AND THE SWEDES. in a grove of newly planted trees, abont quarter of a mile from the citj^-wall. It is nearly ten feet liigh, and lias a circle around the axis. It is ornamented with a bas-relief of the Saviour upon the cross, and an inscription cut in the abbreviated old monk style. The following is the inscription with the abbreviated words written out in full: "anno DOMINI MCCCLXI FEEIA TERTIA POST .TACOBI ANTE PORTA S WISBY IN MANIBITS DANORUM OECIDEEUNT GUTENSES. HIC SEPITLTI. ORATE PRO EIS." To an American, it is a matter of surprise, that a shaft can stand to-day, after the lapse of more than five hundred years, scarcely touched by the finger of time, its bas-relief clear, its inscription perfectly legible. The ancient wall, churches, castle, and monuments of Visby were all built of Gotland limestone. Their extraor- dinary preservation is due in part to the quality of the stone, but chiefly to the mild and equable climate of the island. Hard by was a modern grave-yard. In it I noticed a handsome stone to the memory of an old gentleman and his wife. At the bottom was this legend: " THANKFUL HEIRS RAISED THIS MONITJIENT." What the heirs were thankful for it is not diilicult to guess. I wonder how many English or American epitaphs are as truthful as this naive inscription. I continue on outside the ramparts. Stiles make easy the climbing of fences. Wind-mills swing their arms from stubby towers of stone. Through rents and gaps in the wall, I see the roofs and gables of the city peering out from among green masses of foliage. A lark soars from the meadow and fills the air with melody. On this bright spring afternoon, it was difficult to realize that this old wall was built before the use of fire-arms; that, through the embrasures of these towers, arrows, not bullets, were shot; that catapults, instead of cannon, were mounted on the tops of the turrets, and that not shot and shell, but huge stones, were hurled at the advancing enemy. GOTLAND AXD THE ANCIENT CITY OF YISBY. 487 Upon this remote isle of the Baltic, we have preserved a bit of the jSIiddle Ages, and it is handed down to us as per- fectly as the tiy in amber. A half a mile beyond the town to the north, there rises abruptly from the sea a beetling cliff. Three stone columns stand solitary and alone, i^erched upon the sum- mit of the hill. These pillars are built of square stones, From Harper's Magazin Copyright, 18^, by Harper STREET IN VISBY. placed one upon another, and are twenty feet high. Around their base is a low wall of stone, forming a circle forty-two feet in diameter. Three wooden beams once rested on top these columns, running from one to the other, and forming a triangle at the corners of which the pillars stood. Each one of these beams had a number of iron hooks fast- ened in its lower side, and from each hook depended a noose. 488 SWEDEN AND THE SWEDES. For more than six hundred years, oiminals condemned to death have been hung here, and formerly, it is said, their bodies were left dangling in the air till consumed by birds of prey. A ghastly relic of the Middle Ages are the three lone pillars on Grallows Hill. I sat down to rest me on the ring Avall. Below, lay the sea — a gentle southerly wind blew over its surface, ruffling it in patches to a deeper blue. A line of black smoke along the horizon marked the course of some steamer; while, near at hand, a schooner and a bark with drooping sails floated listlessly. The sun hung low over the western sea and lighted vividly town and shore. To the south, the coast- line ended abruptly in the loftj? promontory of Hogklint. Nearer, lay the town; its breakwater hugging in with crooked arm a little bit of the Baltic, within which three or four small craft were lying. The Visby of to-day is a little town of but seven thou- sand inhabitants. It has shrunk away from its walls as an old man from the garments of his prime. Quietly, the quaint old city rests among its beautiful gardens and the mighty ruins of the past. The ivy. and the wild vine clamber luxuriantly over the lofty towers and graceful arches of its ruined temples of worship. High above the tree-embowered town rise these grand memorials of a noble past, and around their base cluster the little houses and shops of the people of to-day, like pigmies round the feet of giants. Encircling all is the grand girdle of the old wall, sur- rounding the peaceful town with silent, solemn, mediseval lines. This ancient wall is, undoubtedly, the most perfect military monument of the Middle Ages now existing in Northern Europe. Its high towers still stand like sentinels along the ramparts, and still look down from their battle- mented turrets upon the city whose glory their massive strength failed to save. Next morning, bright and early, I rattled out through the east gate and drove away over the open country. A pair of the small tough horses, for which Gotland is F^m Harper'. Ma,»tae.-Cop,rl,bl, .888, by H.rp.r ^ B.oth.r.. OLD HANSE DWELLING-HOUSE. (489) 490 SWEDEN AND THE SWEDES. famous, Avere harnessed into the drosky and trotted along at a merry pace. The hedges were leafing out on every side, and patches of bright-green winter rye stood a foot high and Avaved in the sontli wind. The country stretched away on every hand, quite ojien and nearly level. Occasionally, we passed through a small grove of scrub- pines. The drooping branches of the Aveeping birch were full of tiny yellow-green leaves, and waved in the wind like tresses of golden hair. Larks soared and sung from the meadows. Starlings were awkwardlj^ waddling about the road and fields, and curiously prying into everj^ cranny. The houses were small, with thatched roofs and Avhite- washed walls. Sleek crows, with gray coats, lit on the ridge- poles and walked about the door-yards, as unconcernedly as the magpies. Gotland has manj' inarshes and peat-bogs, but we saw none of them on our drive. We passed Roma church. Its higli. tAvo-storied, monitor-built roof, and Ioav, small spire give it a hunchbacked appearance. Just beyond, is Roma cloister, once the seat of the Cistercian monks, now turned into a stable. I wonder if there is anj^ subtile connection betAveen the church and the horse, old churches and mon- asteries seem so often to have been used as stables. Beautiful arches, resting on pilasters, ran along one side of the old abbey. Broken capitals, columns, and pedestals lay strewn all around. Among them was a rude Avooden ploAv, Avith but one handle and a very long beam. Its share was tipped with iron, all else Avas Avood. The plow was new, and evidently in use; but I am quite sure an American farmer would suppose that it was built contem- poraneously Avith the cloister, and formed an appropriate IDart of the ruins scattered so thickly on every side. After proceeding a dozen miles in a southeasterly direc- tion, Ave turned into a cross-road, drove past Halla church, and soon came into another highAvay leading northwesterly back to Visby. The roads Avere lined with ash-trees, whose enormous roots, like coiled serpents, began to slope outAA-ard from the trunks, two or three feet above ground. From Harper's Magazine. Copyriglit, 1338, by Harper & Brothera. DOOR-WAY OF COUNTRY CHURCH. (4911 492 SWEDEN AND THE SAVEDES. Eveiy tree seemed standing upon a pyramidal pedestal of twisted roots. From woods near by floated the spicy odor of heated pines. We pnlled up at Dalhem church, and the driver led the horses into the stable of the parsonage to bait them. The wliole congregation was out-of-doors, enjoying the warm noon-tide sun of spring. Tlie women looked queerly with broad-brimmed white straw hats perched on top the black silk kerchiefs closely bound around their lieads and cheeks. The men and boys were sitting on a long ladder, or lean- ing against the trees and fences, in front of the church, while the women and girls strolled among the graves in the church-yard in the rear. Can it be that women are the only mourners ? The priest — a tall, portly man, dressed in black, and wear- ing a broad-brimmed black hat — now steps out from the parsonage and walks slowly across the way. He addresses a remark, which must have been jocular, to the row of men and boys sitting on the ladder, for they all burst out laughing. He shakes hands with a white-haired veteran, bows to others, and enters the church. The bell strikes a few strokes, and the congregation slowly file in. Soon I hear the organ pealing through the open portal, then the voices of the choir singing a ]3salm. We drove off at one o' clock, the road was level and smooth, our ponies fresh as in the morning. We rattled briskly along and were back in Visby at three, having taken in thirty-two miles of this snug little island. Many boys in the streets are very nicely dressed and gloved, on their breasts they wear bouquets. They are the children of the Lord's Supper, and to-day partake of their first communion. The women carry posies in their From Harper OLD SLEIGH IN THE VISBY MUSEUM i>.— Copyrieht, 1888. by Harper tk Brothers, From Harper's Magaaine, Copyrlglit. 1888, by Harper 4 Brothers. HEMSE CHURCH DURING SERVICE 494 SWEDEN- AND THE S\yEDES. hands, some of them bear a calla lily filled with small flowers. At five o'clock, I attended a dinner given in my honor by the hospitable Gfovernor of Gotland, the Hon. Gustaf Emil Poignant, at the gubernatorial palace. The military commander of the island and some of the chief people of Visby were jJ resent. From Harper's .Magazine.— CopyriEbt, 18&8, by Harper A Brothers. TO THE 1800 CITIZENS OF VISBY, SLAIN BY VALDEMAR. The dinner was a very pleasant one. Our host toasted America in terms of respect and admiration, and I re- turned thanks therefor in the best Swedish at my command, After dinner. Governor Poignant showed me his garden, of which he has reason to be proud. Everything was coming rapidly forward in the warm spring air. The Gov- ernor exhibited his grape-vines with especial satisfaction, and told me that his grapes ripened every year in the open air, and this is nearly up to 58"^ of Xorth latitude — the same latitude as Northern Labrador. GOTLAND AND THE ANCIENT CITT OF VISBY. 495 At nine, in the luminons evening, I was steaming away from Gotland in tlie comfortable steamboat Tjelvar, bound back to Stockholm. If ever the powers of Western or Central Europe join in battle with the great ]:)ower of the East, the island of Got- land will make the best possible coaling-station and depot of supjjlies for any expedition operating against St. Peters- burg, Finland, or the Russian Provinces of the Baltic. Will the allies seize Gotland for this purpose ? Of one thing we may be assured, that both Swedish King and people, in the event of such a war, have but one wish, and that is to maintain an honorable neutrality between the belligerents. INTERIOR, GERUMS CHURCH, GOTLAND, (4980 CHAPTER XLI. FISHIXG AT FALKENBERG. ?HE prince of good fellows is Baron Oscar Dick- son!" So shouted I, as I finished reading a polite little note from him, generously placing "^•^ his far-famed salmon river — the Atran — at my d.isx30sition for the first half of July, 1885. Stockholm was getting hot and becoming deserted. Most of my friends had already betaken themselves to their summer villas, and I was longing for the green fields, the salt sea-breezes, and the foaming fosses of the west coast. So this kind invitation of the baron was, of all things in the world, just what I most wished for. I took the night train from Stockholm to Gothenburg. Next morning, at eight o'clock, I was on board the superb steamer Holland, coasting southward through the labyrinth of rocky islands that form the Swedish skargard. At noon, we steamed inside the stone piers of the snug harbor of Warberg, and after a hasty lunch at the hotel, I jumped into an ancient, but comfortable, and, no doubt, honorable carriage, and rattled away over the rough stone flagging of the village streets. Soon we were driving through the green fields of the open countr}'. It was a warm, still, hazy, lazy summer's day — this second of July, 1885. The blue Kattegat lay sleeping to the right. The tall winter rye swayed slowly and majestically in the soft breezes; larks soared from the meadows and, poised on high, with quick-beating wings, poured out their little souls in song. The driver beat time with his cracking whip, our little northern ponies trotted sturdily along the dusty highway, and I dozed away in my 32 (497) (498) FIS]IIN(i AT KAl.KENHEKG. 499 cozy seat, and fell into a sort oL' lialf -sleep, through which I saw everything as in a dream. But the central point of my dreams was always the tall light-house of Morup, stand- ing on a bleak cape half-way our journey, and dominating sea and land. I awoke as we rattled into the one long street of Falken- berg. Here was my gaffer, Carl Nilsson, in the middle of the road. He greets me with a pleasant smile and, "Lots o' salmon; nobody been fishing here for over a week." We drive directly to the old inn of the town. ' ' Gastgif- vareg&rd" these inns are called all over Sweden, but I should laugh to hear any of my American readers try to pronounce that word. I jumped into my tishing-costume as quickly as possible, put together my rod, and was on the river-bank with Carl at six o'clock. Selecting a small "butcher" from my ffy- book, I carefully whipped the stream. No rise in the upper pool, none in the next. In the middle pool, at the second cast, aha! the flash of silver out of the depths, the bright splash of spray on the surface, the line tightening in a moment, the whiz of the reel as the line runs across- stream, and the leap, leap, leap of the silver-shining salmon, as, thrice repeated, he jumps three feet into air near the farther shore. Ah! that is what causes the blood to tingle in the veins and brings back the zest of life again in all its keenness. The salmon was fresh run from the sea and gave good play; but his bright, pearly side showed above the wave at last. I drew him in close to the shelving shore, and Carl flung him high on the bank. Carl hooks my pocket-scales into the lip of the fish and raises him up. I lean over and look at the index. He weighs just eleven pounds. In the lower pool I took another salmon, and on the opposite shore three more. At ten o'clock, we rode down- stream in the ruddy glow of the Northern twilight, with five salmon gleaming in the bottom of our little skiff. Next morning, Carl called me at three; but, in these high latitudes, it was already bright day. We took a hasty cup 500 S WED EX AND THE SWEDES. of coffee, and at four I was casting tlie fly. The salmon rose well. I landed seven before nine o' clock. Then we pulled home to breakfast. The sky was clear, the sun bright, the river low, so, after breakfast, I turned in for a nap. At noon, Carl wakes me. The heavens were now all clouded over. We hurried back to the stream. I changed flies, putting on a "JockScotr." Hoav the salmon rose to that fly! A fish took or showed himself at almost every cast. From a single pool, I caught five salmon, and at four o'clock I had landed sixteen. My snx>ply of ' 'Jock Scotts ' ' were now frayed out and used up. We jjaddled back to the village. Yes, the mail was in, and here was the long-looked-for letter from Scotland, containing a fresh supply of flies. We do not stop for dinner; but, drinking a bowl of milk, hurry back to the stream. The salmon are still rising, and I land five more before sundown. Then a group of villagers saunter up the Doctor's Way, by the river-bank, to see me fish. I put on a large ' ' silver doctor ' ' and land yet tAvo more salmon before darkness gathers over the turbulent river. Thirty salmon! A good day's work. More than lever caught before. More than I ever expected to catch in one day. On the morrow I took it easy, landing two salmon in the morning and three at evening. At noon, a man drove me two miles over a winding road, through fields of waving rye, to a little bath-house at the sea-side. Here I took a plunge into the Kattegat and washed the sweat and tire of salmon-fishing out of me. I had a neat little room to dress in, clean towels, and every attention, and the price was twelve ore, or three cents of our money. Wonder what our fashionable bathing- places on the Atlantic coast would think of that? Sunday came round, and I was glad to give my rod and myself a rest. The inn I am stopping at is over two hundred years old. I have a large, low-studded sitting-room, twenty-two feet sqiiare, and a bedroom oi^ening out of it. The sitting-room FISHINU AT FALKENBEKG. 501 looks on to the paved street, but the window of the bedroom opens out upon a Large llower-garden and orchard, which slopes down to the river. Climbing rose-bushes are trained up the walls of the house, and my window is embowered with Avhite and red roses in full bloom. The summer wind drifts lazily in, cooled by the river and perfumed by the flowers. Then I walk in the garden. I find a hammock hung between two trees and lie and swing in it. It is noon — too hot to walk with comfort in the sun; but, lying here, in the shade, swinging between a maple and a cherry tree, the temperature is perfection. The sound of the rippling river just reaches my ear, a bee drones among the flowers hard by. I would like to stay here forever. And where else, pray, can I catch thirty salmon a day, or get a good sea- bath for three cents '\ At evening, I rambled over the river to a little cemetery I had seen on the upland, attracted thither by a rude granite shaft that stood like an ancient rune-stone. I found that this characteristic Northern monument marked the grave of the good doctor who planned and secured to the people their beautiful shaded promenade along the river- bank. His epitaph is touchingly simple and beautiful. On the rough granite is chiseled : "HAR HVILAK LAKAKEX OCH MEWISKOVANXEISr."* For ten days longer, I had all the salmon-fishing my heart could desiie or my hands accomplish. The weather was hot, sky clear, sun bright the whole time. The river was low when I arrived, and it gi'ew smaller and smaller with every day. Rocks that had not been seen for many years, showed themselves out of water. But the fishing continued good. The salmon left the upper pools, to be sure, but the deejD pools at the foot of the falls were full of them. One day, some friends, fishing on the Nissa River at Oscarstr5m, drove across-country and dined with me. I passed my rod to one of them as he came down the bank, and he hooked a salmon at the first cast. * " Here rests the physician and the friend of mankind." (502) FISHINd AT FALKENBERG. 503 On Thursday, July 9Mi, I was very early at the river. All up and down the stream, as far as you could see, salmon were leaping incessantly. They were all bright fish, evi- dently a new run come in during the night. There had been no rain, no rise of the river, no wind, aud no cause for a run as far as we knew, but here were the fish, neverthe- less. They rose splendidly. At nine o'clock, Iliad landed ten salmon. Then I sent Carl to the hotel for a sandwich, and kept on. The day was overcast, and, using a very small "fairy," the fish rose well, even at noon. At three in the afternoon, I had landed, in all, tbirty-one fish. I rested fifteen minutes, ate a light luncheon Carl had brought me, and whipped the stream again. But the salmon were not so eager, they rose more warily. At nine o'clock, 1 had landed thirty-seven, and not another rise could I get. There was a bit of swift water half-way from the falls to the village, where I had frequently seen the fish jump, but where I had never succeeded in catching any. Now we pulled down to this, and running the bow of our punt on a rock that was just awash, and slipping on a " silver doctor," I wound up the day with four more salmon, taking the last one as the clock in the tall church-tower slowly struck eleven, and making my score for the daj' forty-one. At noon of July 16th, I reeled in my line for the last time in Sweden. The first half of July was ended, and my time was up. The following is my score for the trip : July 2d, after six p. m., five salmon; July 3d, thirty salmon; July 4th, five salmon; July 5th, Sunday; July 6th, nine salmon; July 7th, eight salmon; July 8th, eight salmon; July 9th, forty-one salmon; July lOth, thirteen salmon; July 11th, twenty-one salmon; July 12th, Sunday; July 13th, six salmon; July 14th, fifteen salmon; July 15th, eight salmon; July 16th, until twelve m., fifteen salmon. The first day and last day were only half days. Count- ing these two halves as one whole day, the total will be one hundred and eighty-four salmon in twelve consecutive days, exclusive of Sundays, an average of over fifteen salmon a day. These fish were not large, to be sure. None of them 504 SWEDEN AND THE SWEDES. exceeded sixteen pounds, and few of them ran over twelve pounds, though there were a good many that came up to that weight. In point of the number of sahnon that can be taken by fair casting of tire fly, wliei'e will you find a river that excels the Atran ? Baron Dickson has owned the fishing in this river for many years, and has expended large sums of monej" in salmon-breeding and stocking the waters. The baron is undoubtedly the best tiy-fisherman in the kingdom, and has probably taken more salmon with the fly than any other man in Sweden. In fact, he has become almost sur- feited with the x^astime. He told me frankly that the only sport now to him was to cast the fly and hook the fish. After that, he was perfect! j^ willing to pass his rod to any- body. He cared nothing about playing the salmon. I used a light Leonard sixteen-foot s2:)lit-baniboo rod, I think the first American split-bamboo ever used in Sweden, and a fifteen-foot Scribner green-heart rod, alternating from one to the otiier, and finding a certain rest in the change. I did all the casting, and hooked, i^layed, and brought to the gaff, or landing-net, all the one hundred and eighty-four salmon, and I must confess I was never so thoroughly tired out as at the end of this glorious twelve days' sport. CHAPTER XLII. A TRIP TO DA LUC A ELI A. ^REDRIKA BREMER says, somewhere, " It is no use to travel unless one have weather-luck;"" and, were 1^ the good authoress living to-day, she would add, also the luck of avoiding excursions. For the moment any number of individuals become demoralized into an excursion, they develop a fatal facility of appropriating all the accommodations, eating all the food, filling all the cars and boats, and crowding and hustling the politeness and patience out of everybody else. My luck has always been good in this regard, so I have kept on traveling. Excursionists never seemed to care about my company, and as I always desire the freedom of my mortal frame, and a reasonable space in which to live, and move, and have my being, excursions and I have always got on admirably — by different routes. My heart, however, sunk within me as I stejDped on board the steamer Ge/le, lying alongside the quay at Stock- holm, for her decks were crowded to the rail on either side by an excursion of miners from Falun. There was no place to sit down, and scarcely any room to stand up, and how these miners and their prolific families could enjoy this sort of thing I can not conceive, unless they were sustained by the happy consciousness of traveling at reduced rates. It is always well to possess the friendship of the captain or the steward, or even the quartermaster, of the ship you sail in; but the pearl of greatest price, on board a Swedish steamer, is the friendly interest of the maid of the after- saloon. I know it is the corpulent captain who sells the tickets and allots the state-rooms; but when you enter the RATTVIK MAIDENS. (Mi) A TKIP TO DALECAKLIA. 507 cabin, you come into the special domain of the lithe staderska, and, no matter what may be the number of tlie berth on your ticket, she can always so arrange and com- bine as to make you very comfortable, if she will. So, notwithstanding the impenetrable mass of returning miners, and the sad and sympa- thetic tones in which the captain said it was impossible to give me a state-room to myself, I was not as one without hope, for an ai^peal lay to the lady of the Gejle. It was a jDleasant July evening as we steamed northeast through the wide thor- oughfare by Furusund, but the multitudi- nous miners were ver}^ opaque and it was quite difficult to take accurate views of the scenery through them, so I soon repaired to my cozy room and A turned in. As I was endeavoring ■^ to get my mind composed for sleep, I fear I took a guiltj- |)leasure in the dialogue outside my door; in the progress of which, the staderska convinced the gentleman who had been assigned the berth in my hytt opposite me, across the wash-stand, that it was all a mis- take, and he must go to quite a different j)art of the ship. But my happiness was of short duration, for the scuffling of miners' feet on the deck, just overhead, rendered sleep as impossible as in a well-packed caucus, and no sooner had I rendered this nuisance tolerable by steady reflection upon the beauties of civil-service reform, than the boat began to roll most villainously in a nasty cross-sea upon the open Baltic. So I was glad to go on deck at very earlj" dawn. "Misery loves company," it is said, and the misery of sea- sickness, or the wretchedness inseparable from excursions, had caused the people from Falun to lie closelj" together in piles upon the deck. Between the heaps of prostrate miners it was possible to move, and over them one could VINGAKER MAIDEN 508 SWKDEN AND THE SWEDES. see the low shores to the westward. There was not much to see; only a long, low line of woods, seemingly growing out of the water and extending on our port-hand as far as the eye could reach. As to beairty of hindscape, one might as \vell coast along the shores of North Carolina. These low strands are chai-acteristic of the Gulf of Bothnia, and, with the exception of the coast of Vesternorrland, stretch their monotonous length to its northernmost cove. What a contrast to tlie lofty Norwegian fjelds, which tower a mile above the sea on the west coast of the Scandinavian Penin- sula! I was altogether glad when we steamed in between the long wooden jetties where the Gelle River pours into the gulf, and exchanged the boat Gejle for the city of the same name. The first view of C-fefle, coming from the Bothnia, is not prepossessing. You see only a great mass of lofty lumber- piles. The lumber is mostly pine and spruce, bright yellow in color, and piled regularly in great squares, and so high as to entirely conceal the city which lies bej^ond. Yet, when once you have got into Gefle, j^ou will be pleased with its wide, regular streets, and its great square paved market- place, where burly peasant women, standing behind their little wagons, strive to sell you anything from a fat cheese to a pair of warm woolen stockings. And I scarcely know of a more delightful stroll than you can make in the long, thickly-wooded park by the banks of Gelle Stream, which pours — tumbling, sparkling, and foaming — through the green wood and brings into this city-park the wild life of its distant source among the hills. My host and companion on this walk, for many years the American consul at this port, is now no more; but I am sure the memory of that philanthropic merchant, John Rettig, will be ever green in the city toward whose beauty and well-being he contributed with so liberal a hand. I had not intended making any stop in this brisk and growing lumber-city, but I felt that the miners expected fair play from me, and that our two rival excursions should not be conducted on the same train. So I magnanimously MAIDEN FROM OSTERAKER (509) 510 SWEDEN" AND THE SWEDES. permitted tliem to proceed in the morning, and, witli tlie satisfaction which comes from a good conscience and per- sonal comfort, journeyed Avestward in the afternoon to the miners' home — Falun. This is the capital of Dalecarlia, and the seat of the great copper-mines, that have been worked no one knows how long. Certainly for more than five hundred years. After a late supper, I took a walk to the outskirts of the town. Here a broad hill-side slanted upward, black and barren; one enormoias mass of slag from the mines, reeking and smoking out of the "roasting hills," piled up like a black eruption over its surface. The scene reminded me of the great fields of cooling lava one sees on the sides of Mount Vesuvius, or of the smoldering ruins of a burned city. Every tree and bush and blade of grass had been killed ofi' by the fumes of smelting copper, and nothing was left but the "abomination of desolation." It was ten in the evening when I reentered Falun, but the ruddy sunset was burning on the red brick church-tower, and there, on the north wall, it would burn all through the night. The proper thing to do at Falun is to go down into the mines; but the desolation of Kopj^arberget so oppressed my soul, that I made my escape by the earliest train on the morrow. The resemblance of the scenery of Sweden to that of the State of Maine is particularly striking along the road toward Lake Siljan. The ravines we crossed reminded me strongly of those on the Upper St. John River, and the valley of the Dalelf, from Djuras to Insjon, called vividly to mind the valley of the Madawaska River, Just across the northern border of my native State. There was the same broad, green, level valley, bordered by low, wooded hills on either side, and intersected by the bright, ri])pling river. But these low, nestling hamlets, thickly strewn over the inter-vale, were surely not the homes of Americans. In the hay-field stood hasjor, across whose rails the newly-cut grass was being laid to dry. The mowers were clad in green waistcoats, across which their red shirt-sleeves waved to and fro as tliey swung their scythes. Broad-faced peasant (511) 512 SWKDKX AND THE SWEDES. women, in close-titting red caps, roomy puffed-out white sleeves, and dress-fronts striped horizontally with many colors, were raking the hay, or carrying it in arrafuls to the hasjor; while boj's, in long greenish-yellow coats, which gave them the appearance of little old men, sported about and did not seem to be doing anything in particular. The railroad ended at Insjon, and we continued our journey up the Dal River, on board the little brown steamer Osterdalarne. Among the passengers was a middle-aged, medium-sized, solid-looking man, with comely features, and pleasant, intelligent expression. He was clad in a A CHURCH BOAT ON LAKE SILJAN. white short coat, light-colored buckskin breeches tied about the knee, long white woolen stockings, and low shoes with massive buckles of silver. He wore, also, a long leathern apron, like that of a blacksmith, only this was fresh and clean, reaching from breast to ankles, strapped over his shoulders, and tied about his waist. Dropping into conversation with him, I soon learned he was no other than Broms Olof Larsson, one of the largest land-owners and most influential men of Dalecarlia. There is only one other in the i^rovince so potent as he, and that is the tall, impressive-looking vice-speaker of the Lower A TRIP TO DALK(!AI:LIA. 513 House of the Swedish Riksdag, who comes down to Stock- holm, to the meetino-of the Swedish Congress, in the costume of liis parisli, witli liis hair parted in the middle and cut so as to hang at even length all around his massive head. He is one of the celebrities of the capital. You will not pass a week of the winter there without seeing him, and you will be sure to ask who he is. The answer will be Liss Olof Larsson. It is a little singular that these two leaders of Halecarlia should have the same name — Olof Larsson; for THE COTTER'S SUNDAY EVE. (From a Painting by Amalia Lindergren ) Broms and Liss are only the names of their farms, and are prefixed to their real appellations after the manner of the province. I ventured to ask my companion about his costume. It was that of the imrish where he dwelt. He had been used to it from childhood, and as he liked it better than any other, he did not see why he should make any change. And as for the long leather ai)ron, no, it was not in the way at all, 33 1614) A TRIP TO DALECARLIA. 515 and he was sure he should feel very chilly and catch cold, if he left it off. I was entertained with the frank conversation of my companion, and pleased with his always calling me "du." The geuTiine Dalkarlar never addresses one by his title, as other Swedes; but, like our Quakers, speak to everybody as "thou," which, elsewhere in Sweden, is never used, except as a term of great familiarity or endearment. As we were cliatting on the deck of the steamer, a turn in the river brought into view a point of land jutting out from the east bank, and bristling with a grove of spruces. Above the pointed tops of the trees, rose a ball-like dome, bulging outward from a narrower neck below .md sloping, with con- cave lines, into a spire LEKSAND's CHURCH. above. Thls crowns the church of Leksand, and I feel confident that this peculiar globe-like steeple— the only one of its kind I have seen in Sweden, except that on the Gustavianum at Upsala— must have been fashioned on a Russian model. Here Broms Olof left the boat, after cordially inviting me to visit him on my return, and among those who got on board, I was delighted to see my Stockholm friends— the Royal Chamberlain Dardel and his beautiful daughter, Amelie. Swinging round the point of the church, we left the river and steamed out upon the broad surface of Lake Siljan. The banks of the lake are neither abrupt nor lofty. Low hills, their summits crowned with forest, roll up gently from the water. Their sloping sides are dotted all over with the little parti-colored squares and triangles and t> 516 SWEDEX AND THE SWEDES. parallelograms of cultivation. Everything is quiet, peaceful, pastoral, and breathes an inviting air of repose. We steamed up the great eastern bay of the lake and touched at the hamlet of RJittvik. On Lake Siljan, one sees that he is approaching Norway. The horses that come clattering down to the pier are low, stubbed, and j)ony-built, and their manes, being chopped in the arc of a circle, of which their necks form the chord, bristle u^Dward like the back of an angry dog. The houses have an ovei'hanging second story, the row-boats ai'e long, pink-sterned, and rise high fore and aft, like viking ships; and as we sail out again into the main lake, we see the mountains rising ever highei' to the north and west, toward the Norwegian f jelds. There was a long, lank, old Grerman on board, who made himself unpleasantly conspicuous by frequently shoutin out, as anyone praised a pretty view: "^.s rjieht del scJioneres in, DeutscJdand ! " ' There was something about the old Teuton that reminded you of a bull-moose, and my friend Dardel, who is an artist as well as courtier, took a sketch of this rangy Deutscher, and so admirably caught his stag-like expression that you looked at once for the pair of antlers that should have surmounted his head. We sailed past the great island SoUeron — ' ' the eye of Siljan " — and, at a time when it would have been evening in any i^art of the United States, wound through a narrow tortuous channel, x^ricked out by poles, and laid alongside the pier at Mora village. As the sun was still high and the day pleasant, we started out after supper for a stroll. Passing along level fields for a mile, we came to an allee, at the end of which stood a pretty little building of hewn stone, without windows, but lighted from above through an ornamental monitor roof. It is of one stoiy and covers no more space than a peasant's cottage. A custodian from a house close by turned the key, swung open the massive oak doors, and we entered the little hall. (5ir) 518 SAVKDEN AXD THE S^VEDES. In the center of the stone floor, our guide lifted a pair of trap-doors, and we descended, one at a time, into a little stone cellar, some six bj' eight feet on the ground, and six feet high. In this small iDit, the stout jjeasant woman, Margit, wife of Tomte Matts Larsson, hid great Gustavns Vasa when the Danish soldiers were close on his track, and, with woman's ready wit, placed a great tub, tilled with Christmas ale she was brewing, over the trap-door, entirely concealing it from the prying eyes of the Danes, who entered the cottage a moment afterward. The sides of this little cellar are walled up with rough, rounded stones, laid one on the other without mortar, and piled u]D as rudely as the stone walls of a New England hill-side farm, and the pit is covered by an arched vault of brick laid in cement. Our guide informed us that the entire cellar stood just as it was when Margit pushed Gustavns into it, and I supjjose this is true as to the rude stone walls; but the vaulted brick roof is a strticture such as no peasant of the sixteenth cent- ury ever built, and although some dates as earlj^ as 1700 were cut in the bricks, they unquestionably belong to a much later time than the first Yasa — a time when the cellar had become historic and an effort was made to preserve it. We looked at the paintings hung on the walls. One of them represented the event in commemoration of which the monument is built. Gustavns, woodman's ax in hand, is just descending into the cellar. Margit, with both hands on the huge ale-tub, stands ready to place it over him. The fumes of the ale she is brewing rise from a great kettle hanging on a crane in the vast open fire-place, and out through the window you see the Danish horsemen coming on at a gallop. As we strolled back to Mora, the opinion of our little party was pretty accurately voiced by a fair daughter of Sweden. " Na val," she said, " I do not think it is a monu- ment to Gustaf Yasa at all. True, he was saved here; but it was Margit who saved him. The whole invention, merit, and success of the action belong to her, and Gustaf was A TRIP TO DALEOAKLIA. 519 only a passive instrument in lier hands. To my mind, that little hall is a monument to the DalkuUa Margit and to woman' s quick wit. ' ' To which sentiment we all shouted, With the founder of our minds, Mora church Bravo!" story of the great the Vasa line in we strolled on to and ascended the Crustavus stood MORA CHURCH, VASA MONUMENT. MORA STRAND. and tired the hearts of his countrymen on that clear cold Christmas Day, three hundred and sixty-five years ago. The Dal River lapsed by us in the ruddy twilight, like a fiood of gold. The church stood bathed with the glow of sunset, and the great clock in the belfry struck the hour of ten, with sturdy ringing blows that reverberated far and wide over the quiet land, I sauntered into the church-yard. The monuments are all low crosses of wood, painted white, and the inscriptions are printed on paper set into the wood and covered with glass. On the front of the cross is the name of him who rests below, and the date of his birth and death. On the reverse side is the epitaph. It was midnight before I returned to the hotel; but I could see to read with ease, and the northern side of every stone wall and house and tree and cliff was aglow with the mingled fires of sunset and dawn. Next morning we steamed back down the lake, and landed at Rattvik. We walked past the old church, and found the parsonage on the hill-side beyond, sitting in the MAIDEN FROM SKANE. (520) A TRIP TO DALECARLIA. 521 midst of a garden of trees and flowers. The view from tlie balcony over the lake, and to the rolling cultivated hills rising from the farther shore, is one of the most charming in Dalecarlia. The worthy iDarson met us, clad in a long and flowing dressing-gown. A smoking-cap rested on his head, and he held a massive and cherished pipe in his hand. Both he and his wife were very attentive, and pointed out the beautiful views, and showed us their flowers and vegetables. This good couple had lived here for thirty years. They were childless, and petted the plants in their garden. The parson had frequently been offered exchange and promo- tion. "But," quoth he, "no other parsonage in Sweden has such a view as this. I could not be happy elscAvhere. No, here will I live, here will I die." In the afternoon, a brisk rain kept us imprisoned in the little inn; but Kammarherre Dardel improved the time by transferring to the hotel-register his sketch of the German with the imaginary antlers. At six o' clock the rain ceased, and I bade good bye to my Stockholm friends, and drove off with a JSTorwegian pony, and what would have been a Nor- wegian cariole had it held but one. But this vehicle was wide enough for the boy-postilion to sit beside me — a nice little fellow, with neat jacket, new blue cap, and yellow hair freshly brushed. The clouds had ceased to drop rain, to be sure; but they evidently regretted their action, and so hung cold A LITTLE GIRL FROM RATTVIK IN DALECARLIA. A LITTLE BOY FROM DELSBO IN NORRLAND. MAIDEN FROM VINGAKER. (522) A TRIP TO DALECARLIA. 523 and dull and leaden, and gave to all the landscape their own gloomy neutral coloring. Such tints may be fashion- able; but cheering, they certainly are not. Bright liits of color, though, were the maidens we met along the road. The skirts of their dresses were of some dark-blue stuff, except in front. Here, from the waist down, for the space that would be covered by an ample apron, the dress was white, black, yellow, red, and green, in trans- verse bars about two inches wide; each bar was divided throughout its entire length by a narrow rib or backbone of red, and these gaudy stripes repeated themselves down to the feet. The waist of these dresses was very low, not much more than a broad belt, and above this swelled out their wliite chemise, covering bust and arms, and sur- mounted with a narrow lace collar round the neck. Out- side the collar Avas a large gaudy kerchief, caught together on the breast by a round silver brooch, with three pendants. On their heads was a black helmet of thick cloth, with a narrow red rib in the seams. The helmet rose to a point on top, and came low down in the neck behind, where depended two black bands ending in red Avoolly globes that played about their shoulders. Under the helmet might be seen the edge of a white kerchief bound about their brows, and beneath the kerchief escape floods of golden ringlets that wave above bright-blue eyes and adown brown ruddj^ cheeks. As long as one meets these maidens, and sees them courtesy, smile, and their lips move with a pleas- ant "god afton," one will not lack for points of color. In cold weather, the Rattvik maids, and the matrons, also, wear a short jacket of snowy sheep-skin, with the wool inside. This parisli of Rattvik is the Arcadia of Dalarne. Here are the prettiest girls, and the brightest costumes. Each parish about the lake has its own distinguishing dress, and none but Rattvik has the rainbow skirt- front. At Mora, only a colored kerchief is worn about the head. At Lek- sand, a little round red cap is placed far back on the head. When the girl of Leksand marries, she changes her red cap SWEDISH MAIDEN IN RATTVIK WINTER COSTUME. (544) m^ Mj., , BLEKINGE MAIDENS. (525) 526 SWEDEN AND THE SWEDES. for a white one of the same form, and with a border of lace; but, if she becomes a widow, off comes the lace. Formerly, every province throughout Sweden had its own distinguishing costume which was worn by all the inhabit- ants. But Sweden is now fast becoming cosmopolitan, as well as the rest of Europe, and the lover of the picturesque sees, with regret, that these pretty costumes are worn less and less every year. Besides the costumes of the Dale- carlian parislies, perhaps the most attractive that are still worn, are those of Vingaker in Sodermanland, Delsbo in Norrland, and the light graceful dresses of the province of Blekinge, whose maidens are celebrated throughout all Sweden for their beauty. The people of Dalecarlia are noted for their honesty, industry, and thrift. They frequently travel outside the province and seek work in the larger cities of Sweden. They are willing to perform almost any labor, no matter how menial, so that it be honest, and they will work for little pay, provided that pay is sure. In Stockholm, the man who does the chores about j'our house is certain to be from the dales, and the girls who bring home the bundles you have purchased at the shops are frequently from Rattvik. They come tripping up to your door, clad in their pretty costumes, and are all smiles and courtesies as you give them a small coin for their trouble. Should you go to the island of Stromsborg for a lunch, it is a girl from Dalarne — bright, neat, and strong — that sits at the oars in the little ferry-boat and rows you across. These brightly-clad, bright-faced country maidens! you often meet them on the busj' streets of Stockholm, and they give a certain pleasant color and tone to the outdoor life of the capital, even as they did to the lonely road along which I was driving. The Dalecarlians are of a more mechanical turn than other Swedes. The men are good smiths, basket- weavers, and clock-makers, and the women excel in hair-work. They make long journeys to dispose of their wares, the (627) 628 SWEDEN AND THE SWEDES. girls carrying their hair-work in neat wooden boxes, jDainted in quaint designs. Wherever they travel or toil, their heart remains at home in their native dales, and their object always is to save enough money so that they may be able to live in Dalecarlia, and when, by the most self-denying- economy, thej' have laid by a sufficient sum, they return to spend their days near the loved spot where they were born. On the crest of the Bergsang Hills, I drew up my horse, and, crossing a pasture, ascended a little wooden skeleton observatory. The leaden sky permitted but a gloomy view of lake and hill, save at a single point. Across the lake, beyond Mora, and far up the valley of the Dalelf, the sun broke through a low rift of cloud and, piercing the space with low slanting shafts, lighted up one single group of distant mountains with a glorj^ like that which shines upon the Delectable Hills. At an early hour, on the following day, July 25th, I walked from the hotel through a grove, to where Leksand's church, with its Russian ball spire, crowns the promontory and looks out upon lake and river. Over the surface of the lake, of a Sabbath morning, jon may see the congregation pulling toward this point in long, low boats; some of them propelled by eight or ten j)airs of Inilky oars. The prows of the boats are run on to the beach at Barkdal, a little spruce-shaded valley, just north of the church, and here the belles of the dales freshen uj) their curls — with the help of a comb and a bit of looking-glass — before, in many-colored procession, they wend their Avay slowly up the narrow glen to the house of God. A grass-bordered path, under a line of pretty birches, follows along the side of the road to the house of Broms Olof Larsson. He received me cordially, and conducted me to a large upper room, well furnished and spacious enough for a hall. "We are a poor people here in the dales," he said; "but we would get along much better were it not for our laws and customs regarding the distribution of real estate. When a father dies, his farm is cut up and divided among A TPtlP TO DALECAKLIA. f»29 all his children. The mother generall.y has a farm, too, and, at her death, tliis is distribnted in like manner. So it gops on from generation to generation, till now the country is all cut up, like a checker-board, into thousands of little holdings. Few farms are continuous, and almost all con- sist of little bits — an acre here and an acre or two there, all scattered over the country. And, strange to say, the A LEKSANO MAIDEN. people stick to their own little pieces with a superstitious l^erversitj^, and will rarely consolidate their farms by exchanges." ' ' Why, ' ' continued Broms Olof , ' ' I bought a little farm not long ago that would feed only two cows and a horse. This farm was divided into twenty-seven separate little bits, and it was more than three miles — about twenty miles, English — from one extreme strip to the other. 34 Imagine FAMILY FROM DELSBO. (530) A TRIP TO BALECARLIA. 631 the loss of time and labor in going from one to the other, in hauling your crop together, and in fencing, and the like. Sometimes one man owns a few square feet by the road-side, but another owns the right to cut tlie grass in the road-side ditch. He Avalks miles to mow it, and then carries off liis entire crop in his arms.'' On my arrival, the night before, the obliging postmaster had opened his office to get me my mail, and I had given him a cablegram to send to America, which he said was the first telegraphic dispatch from Dalarne across the ocean. He now sent up a card on which was written, in Swedish : " General Grant is dead." This sad message broke off all convei'sation on the Dales. After an early dinner, I dropped down-stream in the steamer Gustaf Yasa. Broms Olof accompanied me to the boat and shook hands warmly as he bade me good-bye, and, a few hours after, the rail-cars whirled me out of Dalecarlia and away from its simple, honest, church-going, God-fearing people. CHAPTER XLIII. S T CKH OLM' S BLOOD-B A TH. fO a Swede, the whole province of Dalecarlia is sacred soil; for this was the scene of the wanderings, ad- ventures, and hair-breadth escapes of the great ^p^ Griistavus Vasa. Here he first induced his country- men to rise and throw off the Danish yoke, and here he gained his first victories. The brilliant career of Gustavus was preceded by the bloodiest drama in Swedish history. Late in the autumn of 1520, Christian II., the Dane, was crowned King of Sweden in the church of St. Nikolaus, at Stockholm. The coronation was followed by festivities of more than usual brilliancy. For three days there were feasting and rejoicing, without interruption, at the palace, and tournaments were ridden by brave knights in presence of the fair dames of the court. King Christian himself was in especial good humor; he struck hands with many of the guests, embraced and kissed them. On the fourth day, when the festivities were at their height, many of the first nobles of the kingdom, together with the chief burghers of Stockholm and some of the most distinguished prelates of the church, were suddenly summoned into the great hall of the palace. Here, to their utter astonishment, a charge of heresy was raised against them, and, on this flimsy pretext, the nobles and burghers were thrown into the dungeons of the tower, and the clergy imprisoned in a room by themselves. The next morning, Thursday, November 8th, the trump- eters made proclamation throughout the city, that no one, on pain of death, should go out of his house till the signal (633) S WjSt' ^M ^P ^m^S^^ 11 ^A K ^ K flL^ / ' mi ^WPi^^^'^^ ^ ~ - r::^^ ■■'■ \ix€tf?^ R- 1 flLjri^^ "■" ~ ^/ r**^ XH9 ^^Bi '^^^ \^'r a\ e' ^^^^*^^ p fe ^^^Ml J'SNihi 'i5 , , ■■■'^(j^^: %e^M^ Sw. "^^ -^ V miIk r^^T^ ; '■i"-^K'^ ^^' --^V-.-^^^M^f^J*^^ it::» "^1 %^H^1 pi /^ im]iii|i||in|ii|y f^ RISTIEKSVS .Z .DAiIOroiM. •-"fti •REX- 3VETIE-K0Sv , vtlilE'ZC. t _ d_ te PnEffBffHfl ^^t^i^'>-^ VT CHRISTIAN, THE TYRANT, WITH A FAC-SIWIILE OF HIS SIGNATURE, ( The porirait Is reproduced from a contemporaneous engravne; on copper.) (534) (stookjiolm'.s blood-bath. 535 was given. Soldiers were drawn up along all the streets. Cannon were hauled into position around the palace, and their muzzles pointed down the ijrincipal avenues. At noon, the gates of the x^alace were thrown oijen, and there marched forth a sorrowful procession — the best men of Sweden, surrounded by soldiers and executioners. First came the bishops, Yincentius and Mathias, clad in the ceremonial robes of the church; next, senators in their regalia of office, followed by the mayors and council and chief citizens of Stockholm. They were conducted to the great market-place hard by. Here the soldiers formed a hollow square around the doomed men. A forest of steel spears and halberds glistened above the closed ranks of the troops. Then a Danish councilor calls upon the populace not to be alarmed at what was about to take i^lace, since these prisoners had sinned against the church. At this, Bishop Yincentius raised his voice and cried out : " This is not true. I demand a legal trial. The King is a traitor to the Swedes, and God will i^unish him." Many others began to siieak in the same way, and some prayed i^iteously that they might at least be ijermitted to receive the last sacrament; but all in vain. Their voices were drowned in the clamor of the mercenaries. King- Christian, who, it is said, saw all that was taking place, from a window of the council-house, now gave orders that the execution should begin. Bishoi3 Mathias was first led forth. As he knelt with hands pressed together and uplifted as in prayer, his own brother and his chancellor sprung forward to take a last farewell; but, at that very moment, the headsman swung his broadsword, the bishop's head fell and rolled on the ground toward his friends, while his blood spurted from the headless trunk. Next, Bishop Yincentius was beheaded, and then the blows of the executioner' s sword fell thick and fast upon the necks of kneeling victims. Twelve senators and nobles were thus murdered, three mayors, and fourteen of the council of Stockholm, and then, in rajiid succession, many STOCKHOLM'S BLOOD-BATH. (5.36) Stockholm's blood-bath. 537 of the most respected citizens. One of the by-standers, bursting into tears at the horrid sx^ectacle, was instantly seized, his head cut off, and his body cast upon the great pile of dead. Some citizens were seized at their homes, dragged by the soldiery to the market, and executed. Eighty -two of the hrst men of the kingdom, the tiower of Swedish nobility and of the burgher class, were thus slain on that black Thursday, the 8th of November, 1520. This is the darkest day the beautiful capital of Sweden ever saAv. Its streets ran red with the blood of its most loved citizens, and, to this hour, no Swede can speak, with- out emotion, of "Stockholm's blood-bath." That night the houses of the murdered men were plun- dered, and their wives and daughters violated. During the following days, these horrible murders were continued. Some burghers were hung, or suffered a more cruel death in their houses. The heads of the slain weie transfixed upon poles — except the head of Bishop Mathias, which was laid between his feet. The bodies were left in the market-place, and torn by dogs. On Saturday, the corjDses were carried out of the city. An old engraving represents them being hauled away upon low one-horse sleds — the decapitated trunks being thrown on helter-skelter and the heads piled in barrels, one of which stands on the fore part of each sled. A great funeral- pyre was erected on the rocky height to the south of the city, where now Katarina kyrka raises its loftj- dome, and here, as the victims had been executed on a charge of heresy, their bodies were burned. Furthermore, the corpses of the patriot leaders, Sten Sture and his son, were dragged from their graves and thrown upon the burning pile. Many noble Swedish ladies were carried to Copenhagen and thrown into the dungeons of the Blue Tower, a melan- choly prison-house, Avliere numbers sickened and died; among them, the mother and sisters of Gustavus Vasa. The King soon dispatched emissaries into the country, by whom the blood-bath was continued. Even the learned Hemming Gadd, now eighty years of age, was not spared. i»rrfBifi"ffl«'ii'''''''''''''"'''''''*W|!ij (5.38) Stockholm's blood-bath. 539 In December, Christian returned to Denmarlv, and his way thither across S^veden was stained witli blood. At Linlioping, he celebrated Christmas by breaking upon the wheel two of Sture' s trusty servants. In Jonkoping, he beheaded Lindorm Ribbing and his two little boys, eight and six years of age. The elder son was first decapitated. When the younger saw the flowing blood dye his brother's clothes, he said to the headsmaii: "Dear man, don't let my shirt get all bloody like brother' s, for mother will whip me if you do." This childish prattle touched the heart of even the grim headsman. Flinging away his sword, he cried : ' ' Sooner shall m y own shirt be stained with blood than I make bloody yours, my boy. ' ' But the barbarous King beckoned to a more hardened butcher, who first 'cut off the head of the lad and then that of the executioner who had showed mere}'. At Nydala cloister, on Candlemas Day, the abbot and monks were torn from the altar, where they were adminis- tering the sacrament, and, after being well beaten, were bound and cast into the lake. The monks sunk at once, but the abbot, having burst his bonds, was able to keep on the surface; whereupon, a long spear was thrust into his back and he was pressed under water till he drowned. Some six hundred of the best men in Sweden were thus murdered before the bath of blood came to an end. Little wonder that Christian is always called "the tyrant" by Swedes. No sane man acts without some object in view. Chris- tian's object could not have been simply, or chiefly, the exercise of devilish cruelty, notwithstanding the fiendish ingenuity with which he went about this business. His real purpose was, undoubtedly, to cripple, and, if possible, annihilate the patriotic party in Sweden. With this party he had been forced to go to war for the Swedish crown, and in this war he had been humiliated, since, with all his forces, by land and sea, he was unable to take Stockholm, within whose walls that brave and noble woman, Christina, widow of Sten Sture, made a most gal- lant and successful defense. o 5 (540) I STOCKHOLM S BLOOD-BATH. 541 By deceit and lying promises, Christian at last induced tlie brave defenders to open the gates of Stockholm and receive him as King. To his coronation were i^urposely invited the chief patriots of Sweden. The charge of heresy against them was trumped up as the most convenient pre- text, and the blood-bath arranged, that the King might, at one blow, get rid of his chief opponents in the land, and, by the manner of their taking off, intimidate all others from raising hand or voice against his power in Sweden. But this very blood-bath cost Christian his Swedish crown. CHAPTER XLIV. G USTA rUS VASA. ^MONCt the noblemen who were beheaded, on that 'M^/^ bloody November day, was one Erik Johansson. came offering him pardon; but brave Erik replied: \\i He surely was a man stout of heart; for, even as he ^=^^-" knelt with tlie executioner behind him, a messenger THE CASTLE OF GRIPSHOLM ON THE MALAR LAKE. " My comrades are honorable gentlemen; I will, in God's name, die the death with them." The next moment, his head fell upon the paving of the market-place. Erik' s son, Gustavus, had also been summoned to attend the coronation, and complete amnesty was promised him; but, wiser than his father, he stayed away. The news of 544 SWEDEN AND THE .SWEDES. the blood-hatli soon reached Gustavus in his hiding-place at the castle of Gripsholm, and he instantly crossed the Malar Lake and tied to the remote province of Dalecarlia. There is no more romantic chapter in Swedish history than that which recounts the adventures of Clustavus in the Dales. Everywhere throughout the province, you come upon traces of this patriot leader. Disguising himself in a homespun suit of "vadmal," choiJioing his hair squarely off, so that it hung at even length all ai'ound his head, after the manner of the district, donning a round hat, and throwing a narrow Swedish ax THE BARN OF RANKHYTTAN. over his shoulder, young Gustavus started forth, one bleak November morning in the year of grace 1520, on his peril- ous mission. He was but twenty-four years old; yet, for more than two years, he had been a prisoner or a fugitive. Now, he Avas an outlaw; a price was set upon his head, and Danish spies and informers were following like blood- hounds on his track. On the southern shore of Lake Runn is still standing the barn of Rankhyttan, its walls built of massive logs roughly squared by the ax. In this barn, Gustavus worked for good man Anders Persson, threshing grain, till GUSTAYT'S VASA. 545 a servant-maid discovered tlie cornei' of a gold-embroidered collar sticking out above his homespun coat. Youth is not always an advantage, and, perhaps, if Gustavus had been older, the girl would not have been sufficiently interested to make the discovery that betrayed him. So Gustavus must continue his wanderings. On the western shore of the lake is a long, Ioav peasant' s house, built of hewn timber, with overhanging second story and low roof. You can see the house plainly from the car THE COTTAGE OF ORNAS. window, as you speed by, standing on a promontory, sur- rounded by a grove of birches. This is the cottage of Ornas. Here Gustavus had taken refuge, and here the brave woman, Barbro Stigsdotter, in the darkness of night, let our hero down with a towel, from a windoAv in the loft, to the snow-covered ground outside, whence a trusty servant, standing ready with horse and sled, drove him to a place of safety. And when, in the early dawn, her treacherous husband returned with a Danish bailiff and a posse of 35 546 STTEDEX AND THE SWEDES. twenty men, he found his bird had tlown. Tlie chronicler sagely adds: "It is said that Arendt Persson never for- gave his wife this deed; " and, really, there seems to be no good reason why he should. At Isala, on the banks of a river tributary to Lake Runn, the noble outlaw took refuge in the hut of Sven Elfsson, the woods-ranger, and just as he was warming himself before the oven in which the busy housewife was baking- bread, the Danish spies burst into the room. They began to cast suspicious glances at Gustavus, notwithstanding his homespun suit, whereat the good woman sti'uck him smartly I^T- EAI SI i *'''''" BARN AND MONUMENT AT ISALA, over the shoulders with her bread- spade, crying out : ' ' What are you standing here and gaping at 'i Have you never seen folks before ? Out with you into the barn ! ' ' Never could the spies suppose that ]peasant woman could treat a noble youth like this, so they went their way. Soon the Danes seemed to have completely encompassed Gustavus in their toils. So Sven, the ranger, bedded him into a load of straw and drove him farther into the forests. Quickly they are surrounded by a bailiff' s ^J»06'.s-e?. " What have you in that straw 1 " GXJ.STAVUS VASA. 647 "Nothing." "We'll see." So the soldiers ran the straw through and through with their spears, but they discovered nothing, and Sven drove on. Now the soldiers came hastening after him again. Drops of blood dyed the December snow all along his route. One of the spears had Avounded Gustavusintheleg; but this the quick peasant had seen before the bailiff's gang, and, drawing out his sheath-knife, had cut his horse's leg close down to the hoof. So this accounted for the blood on the snow, and Sven drove on again in j)eace. And so, after manj^ wanderings, being hidden at one time under a fallen pine in the forest and at another on a wooded height in the midst of a vast swamp, our fugitive at last made his way to Lake Siljan— " the eye of Dalarne" — and reached Mora village. Here he was concealed, just out- side the little town, in the cottage of Tomte Matts Larsson, and here he was saved once again from his pursuers; this time, as we have seen, by the ready wit of good wife Margit. At noon, of a Christmas holiday, when the wintry sun shone low and the north wind blew, the good people of the Dales came pouring forth from Mora church after service, as was their wont. But now the noble tigure of young Gustavus suddenly appears upon a snow-covered mound by the road-side. Here he s^Doke to his countrymen, here he recited their wrongs, and here he begged them to rise up like men and free their country. When he spoke of the blood-bath and his father's death, he shed tears. But the people were tired of feuds and strife; they wished to live in peace, so they entreated Gustavus to leave them and seek only to save his own life. These sturdy peasants were Gustavus' last hope. Wherever he had wandered before in Smaland and Ostergotland, he had con- soled himself, amid all reverses, witli the thought that here, in the heart of Dalarne, among its brave and liberty-loving people, he could recruit the nucleus of an army to save his ■COME BACK, GUSTAFI" (548) GUSTAVUS VASA. 549 Fatherland. Hither he had made his way with incredible toil and suffering, hunted like a wild beast, and at the risk of his life. Now they, too, had failed him. In despair, he fastened his long Swedish snow-skates to his feet, and disapx^eared in the forest. Day after day, he toiled on through the wilderness, up the valley of Ostra- dalelf, sad and dejected. But he must hurry on, for a double price had been placed on his head, and the hirelings of Denmark were in hot pursuit. Wearily he forces his way north through the vast forest, and at last sees the majestic mountains of the Norwegian fjeldrise before him. For his poor, ojjpressed, down-trodden native land, he had now no hope, and, outlaw and exile, he will seek an asylum among the eternal hills of Norway. But hark ! He hears a sound behind him. Turning, he sees two swift skid-runners speeding along his track. Were they Danish minions come to drag him back to an ignomini- ous death, when safety was within sight ? Hear ! they speak ! ' ' Come back, Gustaf ! ' ' they cry. ' ' We Dalkarlar have repented. We will light like men for Fatherland. Come back and lead us." Should he return ? The fate of Sweden, aye, the outcome of the Thirty Years' War, the fate of Europe, the salvation of the Protestant faith, all hung upon the decision of that fair-haired, full-bearded young Swede as he stood leaning on his staff on that wintei''s day amid the snow in the northern forest. Yes, he returns, joyfully. With his two friends, he hurries back down the valley to Mora. Here the peasants of the East and West Dales choose him ' ' lord and chieftain over Dalarne and the whole realm of Sweden." Sixteen stalwart lads were at once placed around him as a body- guard, and soon two hundred men enrolled themselves Tinder his command. Gustavus himself was everywhere, encouraging the people and gaining recruits, and the old men observed that whenever he spoke the north wind blew, and this they had, of old, for a sign that God would give success. 550 SWEDEN AND THE 8A\^EDES. Early in February, Gustavus had four hundred peasants enrolled under his banner. With this little force, he appears suddenly at Kopparberget, takes prisoner the royal bailiff of the mines, seizes the money that had been paid in as rents and taxes, and possesses himself of the goods and wares of the Danish and German merchants. He divides the money and goods among his followers, and disap^jears as swiftly as he came. In this first expedition, Gustavus KING GUSTAVUS VASA, showed the instinct of a successful commander. He struck for "the sinews of war," and dealt them out to his men with ungrudging hand. But he soon returns with an army of fifteen hundred. It was Sunday. He speaks to the people from outside the church, even as he had done at Mora. His words were convincing, his little army potent. The miners of Koppar- berget swear him fealty and take the oath of allegiance. Gustavus now leaves his growing army in charge of his lieutenant, Peder Svensson, and travels to the neighboring (551) 552 SWEDEN AXD THE SWEDES. provinces of Helsingland and Gestrikland to arouse the j)opnlace. Bvit the news of the revolution in Dalarne had reached Stockholm, and the leaders of the Danish party marched forth with an army of six thousand to quell the insurrec- tion. Svensson met them, with five thousand men of the STATUE OF GUSTAVUS VASA, IN FRONT OF THE HALL OF THE KNIGHTS OF STOCKHOLM. Dales, at Brunback' s Ferry, on the Dal River, near the southern border of the province. The leaders of the royal army were surprised at the numbers of the insurgents and at their strength, for the Dalesmen shot arrows clear across the broad river into the Danish camp. " Hoav can so large a force be supplied with provisions from this wild country «" asked one of the GU8TAVUS VASA. 553 Danisli commanders; and, when some Swedish gentlemen told him that the Dalkaiiar were content to drink water, and, in case of need, conld eat bread made from the bark of trees, he sagely remarked : ' 'A people who eat wood and drink water, the devil himself can not subdue, much less any other." So the Danish force began to break camp for a retreat. But, in the meanwhile, Svensson had secretly crossed Dal River by a ferry six miles lower down-stream, and fell upon the Danish army in the act of evacuating its iDosition. The Dalecarlians were armed only with bows and arrows, axes and clubs; but so fierce was their onset, and so terribly did they use these home-made arms, that they drove a part of the enemy into the river, where they drowned, and put the rest to utter rout, following their flying and shattered col- umns far down into Yestmanland. "So," says the old song, "we drove the Danes out of Sweden." There were yet two years more of fighting and sieges, but Gustavus marched on with his j)atriot army from victory to victory. On June 6, 1523, he was unanimously elected King of Sweden by the Riksdag; then Stockholm surrendered, and, on midsummer's eve, June 23, 1523, King Gustavus Vasa, then but twenty-seven years of age, made his triumjphal entry into his capital. He rode a horse richly caparisoned, and was surrounded by knights and young nobles, all mounted and wearing brilliant armor, and was followed by a vast multitude of the populace. The procession rode first to the cathedral, where Gusta- vus, kneeling before the high altar, returned thanks to Almighty God, who had so miraculously led him on, and given him and his people the might to complete the deliver- ance of their country. So was Sweden freed forever from the Danish yoke; so was founded the great Vasa line of kings. VESTERAS, AND SVARTAN. (B54) CHAPTER XLY. THE KIXG. ^^^E of the most gifted, courteous, and charming gentle- 'iiPI "^^'^ ^^ ^^'^^ ^^'^^ ™J' good fortune to meet is His Sjj Majesty Oscar II., "King of Sweden and Norwaj', ^ the Goths and the Yandals," to give him his full title— and his subjects are proud of the whole of it. Were there ever braver warriors tlian these same Goths and Yan- dals i Ask their descendants of to-day. And was it not they who conquered Imperial Rome, mistress of the world ? It is hardly probable that Oscar in his youth ever seriously contemplated ascending the throne. Two elder brothers stood between him and royal honors, and, as time wore on, the eldest was happily married and to him a son was born, which rendered Oscar's prospects of assuming the purple still more remote. So Prince Oscar was educated as a sailor, joined the navy, and became a good seaman, a valiant captain of a man-of-war, and an able commander of a squadron. He was a hard student, acquired knowledge easily, and had a habit of mastering everything he undertook; and the fact that the cares and responsibilities of government would probably never fall upon him gave him both leisure and inclination for acquirement and culture vastly greater than could have been the case had he been the Crown Prince. And Oscar improved all his advantages. He grew to be one of the best-educated men of the day — an extraordinary linguist, speaking fluently half a dozen languages besides his own; a writer of rare felicity of expression; a poet, whose works are not only widely read in Sweden, but have been translated into German, and have taken the prize of the Swedish Royal Academy of Arts; and an orator that, for (555) 556 SWEDEN AND THE SWEDES. beauty of thought, terseness of diction, and majesty of delivery, has, for a score of years, stood easily and admit- tedly first in the ^mgdiom.— facile 2^1' inceps. In the meanwhile his brother. Prince Gustaf, the gifted poet and musical composer, died in Norwaj^, wept by two kingdoms. The little Royal Highness, his nephew, passed away soon after, in infancy; and when, in September, 1872, his eldest brother. King Carl XV., the merry and loved monarch, traveling homeward weary and worn, reached his dear old Sweden only to die at Malmo, then, in the Providence of God, the royal mantle fell upon Oscar, and he became King in the land at the age of forty-three The rule of King Oscar has been wise, considerate, humane, liberal; and increas- ing years bring to him the growing respect, confidence, and love of his i^eople. This af- fectionate regard was plainly manifested in the brilliant and en- thusiastic festivities with which, in January, 1889, the Swedish people throughout the kingdom celebrated King Oscar's sixtieth birthday. His subjects are proud of him, too, for they know that, in extent and variety of learn- ing and attainments, he stands at the head of the monarchs of the world. On ascending the throne, he took for his motto : ' ' Br5dra- folkens val" — "The brother peoples' weal" — and to this motto he has ever been true in heart, in thought, and in deed. THE KING. 557 If there is a railroad to be opened, a masonic hall to be dedicated, an exhibition to be inaugurated, or a corner-stone to be laid anywhere in Sweden, the King is always invited to be present and make the speech of the occasion; and he always responds favorably, for he delights in traveling about and mingling with his people. I suspect, also, he enjoys making speeches, for certainly no one could speak so well without enjoying it. His Majesty is much on the move about his dominions. He saves time by traveling at night. His private car is always in readiness, he lies down soon after entering it and sleeiDS as soundly as in his own bed-chamber at the palace. Speaking of his constant journeyings, I once told him that we Yankees had long striven in vain to invent a machine of perjDetual motion, but that His Majesty seemed to have solved the problem in his own person. The King- smiled and then added, seriously, that it was a part of his politics to go among his people as much as possible, to mix with them, to learn their wants and aspirations, not only among the citizens of his capital, but to travel widely among his subjects all over the two kingdoms, to make their acquaintance personally, and to take them by the hand. "I know not," added the King, "how it may be in republics; but in a kingdom I think there is still left, or at least there ought to be, something of the patriarchal in government, and it is the duty of a King to show himself as the father of his people. And I make this not only a part of my politics personally, but my orders to my lieu- tenants in the provinces — the governors of the lans — are to do likewise; not to remain at home in their offices at their capitals, doing mere routine work that any secretary may do just as well for them, but to go out, travel, go among the people, and learn broadly their wishes, desires, hopes, and aims." The King had just returned from opening a railroad at Halmstad; while there, he visited the great woolen factory of the brothers Isaac and William Wallberg. Among the 558 SWEDEN AND THE SWEDES. Avorkmen, a considerable number, some hundred and fifty, wore a medal for long and faithful service. Every one of these tlie King took by the haad and made haj^py by some kind word of commendation. Oscar II. was born in 1829. In 1856, when making the tour of Europe, a young Prince of twenty-seven, he met the lovely Princess Sophie of Nassau, then but twenty years old. His deep love for her was returned in full measure and they were wedded the year following. Their union has ever been a hap]Dy one, and is blessed with four sons — Gfustaf, Oscar, Carl, and Eugen — who, guarded by a father's and mother' s love, have grown up, under the pure influences of a refined home, to be model young men, the peers of any princes in the world. I recollect, in the autumn of 1886, that Lieutenant Gleerup, the African travelei', having returned, with two com- rades, from his long journey, was accorded a reception by the Swedish Geographical Society at the Grand Hotel at Stock- holm. On the front bench, listening to the speeches, sat the King and the four jirinces — the King in the middle and two princes on either side. A pleasant, a distinguished, as well as a royal, family group, they formed — the kingly father and four princely sons. It was easy to see, from the tender and confidential glances, how intimate and affection- ate were the relations of father and sons, and how happy they were together. It was easy to see, also, that the father was proud of his boys, the boys jiroud of their father, and the audience proud of them all. And all were right. One afternoon, on the skating-rink, the King came glid- ing toward me with lively strokes, and, throwing up his arm, burst out in a joyful strain of song. ' ' Oh, I am so happy to-day!" said His Majesty; "so happy! Do you knoAv, my son Eugen has to-day passed his manhood's exami- nation in all his branches of study, and he is perfect in every one. I am so happy ! Oh, my son, my good son Eugen ! " Eugen is the youngest, and perhaps the most jesthetic of the princes. To him the King's heart goes out A\ath THE KING. 559 great warmth, and surely never did an American father whose son graduates tirst in his class tal-te more delight in his boy's success than did the King tliat day. In the winter of 1884-85, the Princes Carl and Eugen made an extended tour of travel and observation in Asia and Europe. Prince Oscar was at this time sailing around the world, and Carl and Eugen met their brother in some port of India and sailed westward with him in his frigate, the Yanadi.t, along the Indian Ocean and iip the Red Sea, as far, I think, as the Isthmus of Suez. Here they left Oscar and his man-of-war to sail home via the Mediter- ranean, and traveled directly northward by land. When the princes reached Constantinople, Carl fell sick, and a telegram soon arrived at Stockholm stating that his illness was typhoid fever. Both King and Queen were at once deeply solicitous for their boy. Carl had his brother with him, to be sure, his own adjutant and Eugen' s as well, two most exemxDlary and trustworthy young men; he was con- veyed to one of the most comfortable residences of Pera, the healthiest and most beautiful quarter of Constantinople, the best nurses were provided, and the Sultan graciously sent him his own physician. All this was telegraphed the King and Queen, but they were not content. Their boy was sick, no one could care for him like father and mother, and a father's and mother's care he should have. So a s^^ecial locomotive was at once coupled to the royal railway carriage, and King and Queen started, with the briefest possible preparation, on their long journey to the Turkish capital. I was at the Central Station that evening to bid them good-bye, and never have I seen father and mother more anxiously and fondly solicitous for the life of a child than were King and Queen for Prince Carl. So great was the King's hurry, that he forgot to take a traveling-hat with him, and accepted the loan of one from a member of his suit. Having been in Constantinople, I spoke to His Majesty about the healthy and breezy location of Pera; but the 560 SWEDEN AND THE SWEDES. King was not to be comforted. He sadly shook his head. "All, my poor Carl ! " said he, "he was never strong in his stomach, and I know the fever will go hard with him, poor boy! Hear thou!" he cried to his adjutant, "is not the train ready % Will it never start ? " The royal pair safely reached Constantinople, and, under a father's and mother's tender care and nursing. Prince Carl was restored to health. Oscar II. was the first Swedish King to visit Turke3" since Charles XII. On what different er- rands did these two monarchs come to the dominion of the Sultan ! Every Tuesday, when the King is at Stockholm or any- where in the vicin- ity, he gives a gen- eral public audience at the royal palace to anybody and every- hody who desires to see him. On this day the poorest subject in the realm, the beggar in his rags, even, may meet his King face to face, talk with him, and state his grievance, if he has an}\ And he may be sure he will be courteously received, jDatiently listened to, and dealt with not only justly, but kindly. You know the King is at home, for the three-tongued flag is flying over the palace, and all you have to do to pro- cure an audience of His Majesty is to walk up to the palace, enter a waiting-room on the first floor, and inscribe your name in a book. Then j'ou will be called in your order, ushered into the I'oyal audience-room, and meet the King alone. No third person is present to hear your story. SEAL OF KING OSCAR TIIK KIXG. 561 These public audiences begin at ten o'clock in the fore- noon, and continue, usually, until two or three in the afternoon, or till the last person has been heard, and the King will remain till midnight, rather than not receive every one who conies to see him. I have been told that, away up in the noith of Sweden, up on the bleak and dreary f jelds, there dwelt a poor Lapp, who owned but a small herd of reindeer. He fell into strife with his Swedish neighbors and they got enraged and killed his deer — the Lapp's sole support. The Swedish offi- cers of the district denied him justice, and he was laughed out of court. It was winter-time, cold and dismal, and the snow was deep; but, strapping his "skidor" on his feet, he coursed swiftly over the snow several hundred miles to Stockholm. Poor and a savage was he, and clad in the skins of his reindeer, but he was still a Swedish subject, and so, on the next Tuesday, he was received by His Majesty, and told his story. The King heard him as fully as though he had been the highest magnate of the realm, caused the case to be thoroughly investigated, and found the Lapp had suffered the injury and injustice he complained of. Where- upon, His Majesty compelled the slayers of the reindeer to make the poor savage full restitution, and punished the officers who had failed to give him justice. This is the story I heard. I can not vouch for the exact truth of it; but surely it is good enough to be true, and it is characteristic of tlie King, who is in truth the father of all his people. In the gay social life of the Swedish capital, the one "bright particnlar star " is the Swedish King. In society, as in addressing a public meeting, the King is at his best. A brilliant conversationalist, a finent speaker, a, beau cavalier, the politest of gentlemen, he catches a compliment or a witty speech on the instant, and quick as lightning flashes a gracious or mirth-provoking reply. He is the life of every party he adorns with his j)resence. Of slender and graceful figure, his great height — six feet three — causes him to tower above most men, and he 36 562 SWEDEN AND THE SWEDES. is generally the tallest, as lie is always the central, figure in the most elegant salons of Stockholm. The King's countenance is one of rare intelligence and refinement. His expressive blue eyes, sad when at rest, light up with a poetic fire as he speaks, and his smile is of such winning sweetness that he captivates all who meet him. He possesses in a high degree that rare quality, so use- ful to a public man, that we Americans call "personal magnetism;" that quality which distinguishes Blaine among American statesmen. I recollect a Swedish lady, on being introduced to Mr. Blaine and having had a half-hour's conversation with him, remarked : ' 'Ah ! he is splendid ! He is magnificent ! He is like my King ! " It was the per- sonal magnetism that had so impressed this lady, a quality stronger in these two men than in any others I ever met. One day I told the King I was writing a book on Sweden, and asked permission to dedicate the work to him. He very pleasantly and graciously gave me permission so to do. I then added: " The book will contain a chapter upon Your Majesty, and as it is very possible some of it might not meet your approval, I will gladly submit the manu- script of this chapter to you for revision before the book goes to print. ' ' The King gave me a most pleasant smile, and, with a broad wave of his hand, said : ' ' Knowing you as I do, Mr. Thomas, I would prefer not to see the manuscript." Is it possible to frame a more polite, a more compliment- ary, or more kindly answer than this ? Perfectly free, easy, and hearty is the intercourse of the King with the ladies and gentlemen who have been presented at court. And on the skating-rink no one enjoys more gliding around hand in hand with a fair companion than does His Majesty. One afternoon, as I was skating backward, the King pursued me, rolling along hand in hand with the young and lovely Baroness Constance von Kantzow. I turned to the right and then to the left to get out of their way. No THE KING. ■ 563 use. The King and Baroness laughingly followed me np till they caught me in a corner. " You can't resist us ! You can't resist us ! " cried the King, in glee. "No, not I; and who could resist majesty and beauty combined ^ ' ' "What a courtier you are! " quoth the King. "Oh, thank you very much ! " said the little Baroness. "And now, to reward you for your pretty speech," added the King, "I will give you the Baroness' other hand." So we joined hands, three in line, with the pretty little Baroness in the middle, and glided around and in and out among the multitude of skaters. King Oscar delights in pleasing everybody; he has a strongly sympathetic nature, and his heart is filled with kindness for every human being. I was once accorded a special audience of His Majesty, soon after a great sorrow had fallen upon me. As I entered the audience chamber, where the King stood alone, he threw up both hands and, extending them toward me as I advanced, took my two hands in both of his, and in the most delicate and refined manner proffered me his sympathy for my great loss. " Ah! my dear sir," said the King, "I, too, know what it is to lose a dear good mother. It is a loss that never can be made good in this world." As he spoke, the tears stood in the good monarch's eyes and one coursed down his cheek. The King is a lucky fisherman, a keen lover of the chase, and an enthusiast in the matter of outdoor sports. One day I had occasion to take with me to the palace a split- bamboo trout-rod that had been sent from America as a present to His Majesty. The rod pleased him. It was indeed a beauty; and, though ten feet long, weighed but four and a half ounces. It was put together and mounted with that lightness, symmetry, and skill such as has never been attained outside of the United States. But the King was not content with looking at the rod. He took it up, put it together, joint by joint, shook it, swung it around, 564 SWEDEN AND THE SWEDES. went through the motions of casting a Hy, and admired its lightness, elasticity, and strength. In the sound, lying midway between Denmark and Sweden, is the island of Hven, once celebrated as the seat of the chateau and subterranean observatory of Tycho Brahe, but now for its multitude of hares. The King owns the shooting on the island, and every fall arranges a grand hunt there. Among his guests are frequently invited the King of Denmark with his sons, the Crown Prince and King George of Greece, and his sons-in- law, the Tzar of Russia and the Prince of Wales. Quite a royal family party it makes when the sons and daughters of the King of Denmark, with their wives and husbands, are gathered together at the quaint old capital — Coi^en- hagen. And the King of Sweden invites them all to shoot at Hven. Yes, and their chamberlains, and adjutants, and officers as well. The sportsmen to the numbei' of thirty or forty are stationed in line across the island, then the beaters — a hundred or more of them there are — drive the island; and tlie volleys from breech-loading guns that are tired from the stands, as the hares come galloping by, remind one of a battle in miniature. On a high knoll, commanding the Avhole line of battle, the King stations a marker. He dashes down the misses of every shooter — Emperor, King, or Prince — and I sus^^ect when the marker is in doubt lie scores two marks against the unlucky sportsman. And when the shoot is over, every one must pay a crown for everj^ miss, and this goes to the poor of the island, who always receive a bounteous sum and are greatly delighted thereat. When the Prince of Wales visited Sweden, in 1885, the King invited him to an elk-shoot on the forest-covered mountain of Hunneberg. A royal shoot it was. A regiment of soldiers drove the woods, and forty-seven elk, as large and grand as American moose, were shot by the sportsmen in line. I think, after all, however, that the King likes best to take his sons with him on board the roval steam-vacht THE KING. 565 Sl-'dldmon, quietly steam out into the skargard, and have a day or two' s tishing and shooting with his boys, among the beautiful wooded isles of the Swedish coast. The King is a great lover of music, and a good singer. Little informal musical parties are now and then given at the palace, and the King always joins in the singing. No one can become acquainted with His Majesty with- out clearly seeing that his heart is imbued and his life guided by deep religious convictions. Everything with the King is a matter of conscience, and in everything he looks up to the King of kings for guidance. The attitude of prayer, of looking and asking for direction from above in all the matters of life, both great and small, is habitual with King Oscar. One afternoon in January, I was skating on the royal rink, when the King joined me. It was cold weather, and His Majesty had on a. fur cap and was closely buttoned up in a coat trimmed with furs. After a time, I said : " Your Majesty, I have long been wanting to ask a favor of you, and I don't know as I shall ever have a better chance than now, when I have got you all to myself, unprotected, here on the ice." The King smiled. "Ask me! ask me! " he said, warmly, "and if it is anything in my power, I will surely grant it." "Well," I replied, "quite awhile ago I translated a book from your language into mine, and it will be a great favor if Your Majesty Avill accept a copy of my translation from me." ' ' Why, certainly, certainly, I shall be delighted to receive it;" and as he spoke he put his arm around my neck with great warmth. We were skating along, and the King is such a great tall gentleman tliat his arm, in coming down from on high around my neck, fell across the back rim of my hat, and off it went, rolling over and over on the ice. I turned as quickly as I could, but the King was quicker than I. He scooped up my hat from the ice with a iiying stroke, and handed it to me with a polite bow, saying : "I 566 SWEDEN AND THE SWEDES. beg your pardon. I did not mean to do it — indeed I did not." "And I thank Your Majesty a thousand times," said I, "for tlie greatest feather I can ever liave in my cap is the fact that the King has picked it up for me." His Majesty then took me by the hand, and hand in hand we skated round and round the great open-air rink. This afternoon the rink was very full. Young ladies were gliding about everywhere over the ice, while their chaper- ones sat on the green settees around the margin and chatted and looked on. The Cxerman and French Ministers were there, and many ladies and gentlemen of the court. The Marine Band played from the edge of the ice, and the steeples and towers of Stockholm stood out dark and clear-cut against the red of the western sky. And round and round skated the King and I. I told His Majesty how glad I was to present my book to a monarch who was himself an author and linguist. We talked of his jjoems, "Ur Svenska Flottans Minnen." " That i:)oetry is graphic and full of life and motion," I said; "but your ' Rolandseck,' that I have read in the 'Album of Swedish Authors,' is much deeper." "Yes," responded the King, "my navy pieces are only the songs of an enthusiastic young seaman; but if you would know my deepest thought, read my poem on 'Life.' Have you seen this ? " "No, Your Majesty." The King then most kindly gave me a full description of the poem and the circumstances under wliich it was written. It commences with the child when he first sees the outer world as a phenomenon; then his growth, his experiences, Ms sinning, his anguish, his despair; then appears to him the Word (of God) "Logos;" then purification; then rest in God. "Perhaps," added the King, "some of this may remind you of the great Goethe, and I know I have only done in a humble way what the great poet did grandly; but I have THE KING. 567 not copied from liim; it is my own thought, the sincere feeling of my own heart, wlien I liad time to write poetry. But now," he added, sadly, " other cares demand my time and thought." And so round and round and round we skated. The red in the west grew pale, the skaters one bj^ one left the ice, and when the King ceased we were alone. "Good-bye," said His Majesty, and shook hands warmly. The ro\'al carriage drove up, and he was off. When I came, in June, 1885, to x^resent my letter of recall to the King and bid him farewell, I had prepared a nice little speech to deliver to His Majesty; but that speech never saw the light of day. The instant I was ushered into the royal presence, and before I had a chance of open- ing my mouth, the King came forward, and, seizing me by both hand and shoulder, cried out, in good English, "Oh, Mr. Thomas, this is too bad ! too bad ! " After this, any set speech was out of the question, and what, perchance, might have been ' ' the effort of my life, ' ' remained forever unspoken. We talked of the future, of what might be in store lor us, and the King added, thoughtfully, "But why should we allow ourselves to be disturbed or disquieted about the future? My experience has taught me this: That nothing in life is ever so good as we hope, or so bad as we fear." Royal words, those; how true, and how well put. "And now," said His Majesty, "you are going to leave US. What can I give you to take away to remember me by?" "ISTothing would please me better," I replied, "than a j)hotograj)h of the monarch who has shown me so much kindness, and whom I so highly esteem." "That is a very modest request," smiled the King. He stepped into his private working-room, which adjoins the audience chamber, and returning with a pile of large pho- tographs handed me one. " There, how do you like that V 568 SWEDEN AND THE SWEDES. "Very well, indeed. It is excellent; the best I have ever seen. "I think so, too," assented the Kin last one that ever was taken." 'and it is the BERNADOTTE we shall never, so now, good-bye and God bless you. Going to his desk, he wrote ''OSCAR'' on the bottom of the portrait and gave it to me. ' ' Don" t forget me," he continued, "write me a letter now and again; and should you see anything of inter- est about my country in your newspapers send me a copy. I shall read it with pleasure. One thing I know, if ever my country, my dynasty, or myself should be assailed in America, ong as you live, lack a defender. And King Oscar is tlie grandson of the French Marshal Bernadotte. In the lirst decade of the present century, Europe was w^ell-nigh overrun by the armies of Napoleon, and tilled with the fame of the great Emperor and his marshals. In 1810, there sat on the throne of Sweden an infirm and childless old man, the last of the grand line of Yasa kings. What wonder, then, that, in looking around for a succes- sor to the throne, the Swedes should have turned their eyes upon the brilliant commanders of France, with whom Napoleon the Great seemed to be conquering the world; for this was before Moscow. THE KING. 569 Among them was one who liad risen from the ranks and proved by his own career the trnth of the Napoleonic saying, that ' ' every private soldier of France carries a field-marshar s baton in his knapsack." Bernadotte, taken all in all, regarded as statesman as well as warrior, stands lirst among the marshals of France, and, save Napoleon himself, is undoubtedly the greatest character upheaved by the French Revolution. Under a most fortunate grouping of events, and almost by an inspiration, as it now seems, the Swedish Riksdag, on August 21, 1810, unanimously elected Bernadotte Crown Prince of Sweden. But the Emperor would not willingly part with his marshal. Did his keen eye penetrate the future ; At last, Napoleon fastened upon Bernadotte a searching look, and, after a moment' s silence, exclaimed in a loud voice : ' ' Well, go! May our fates be fulfilled." On October 20th, Bernadotte landed in Sweden, at Hel- singborg. He was soon after adopted by the old King, Carl XIII., under the name of Carl Johan, and became at once the real ruler of Sweden and the controller of her destinies. It was the conviction of Bernadotte that the true inter- ests of Sweden lay with the allies, and not with Napoleon; and he was true to this conviction and to the people who had called him to rule over them, even at the cost of turn- ing his arms against his old commander. I do not think sufficient credit has been given Bernadotte for the part he took in the overthrow of Napoleon. When the Emperor was planning his memorable cam- paign against Alexander, early in 1812, he tried to induce Bernadotte to attack Russia with forty thousand Swedes, and, as a reward therefor, offered his old companion-in-arms Finland, which Russia had just conquered from SAveden, as well as vast possessions in Germany along the Baltic Sea. What if Bernadotte had accepted and thrown his mili- tary skill and the whole power of Sweden into the scale in favor of the Erajjeror ? Might not Napoleon' s dream of a universal monarchy have been realized 'i 570 SWEDEN' AXD THE SWEDES. But tlie Crown Prince of Sweden refused the tempting offer. He turned to Sweden's old enemy, Russia, and made an alliance with her, and when, late in August, the same year. Napoleon, with his ' ' Grand Army " ' of half a million men— the grandest Europe had ever seen — was marching on Moscow, to conquer Alexander and become ruler of the world, his old lield-niarshal was closeted with the Tzar in the ancient capital of Finland. And here Bernadotte not only concluded a closer alli- ance with Alexander, but he gave him most helpful counsel in re- gard to the conduct of the campaign against Napoleon, and held up his sinking courage at this time of greatest peril. It was Napoleon who, at Tilsit, sug- gested to the Tzar to wrest Finland from Sweden; it was the Crown Prince of Swe- den who, five years later, at the ancient capital of this conquered province, urged upon the Tzar the complete overthrow of Napoleon, showed him how it could be accom- l^lished, and made a treaty for that purpose. The meeting of the Tzar and Bernadotte at Abo was not so picturesque, and has not made so much noise in the world as the meeting of the Tzar and Napoleon on the raft at Tilsit; but it was followed by greater and more lasting results. Again, in the great campaign of the next year, 1813, against Napoleon, Bernadotte joined the allied armies with a force of twenty-five thousand Swedes — a small force, it is KING OSCAR I. THE KING. 571 true, yet nearly twice the size of the army with which Gus- tavus Adolphus landed on the shores of Germany! And Bernadotte did more than this. At a meeting with Russia's Tzar and Prussia's King, he drew up the plan of the entire campaign. Napoleon's old held-marshal knew instinctively what his former commander's tactics would be, and knew exactly what method of warfare was best fitted to wear him out and defeat him. The forces of the allies were divided into three armies. The most northern of these, one hundred thousand strong, was commanded by Bernadotte in person. Slowly these three divisions closed in ux^on the great Emperor. They barred his way to Berlin, they hemmed hini in at Leipsic. Then followed the bloody Imttles about that city, the storm- ing and taking of Leipsic bj' the allies, the disastrous retreat of Kapoleon beyond the Rhine, his short and desperate campaign on French soil, his utter discomfiture, and his abdication. When Tzar Alexander and King Frederick Wilhelm met Bernactotte in Leipsic, they embraced him, and called him their deliverer; and Napoleon himself said to the Swedish General, Skoldebrand, who had been taken prisoner by the French, " No one in the world has done me so much harm as your Crown Prince. Surely it is among the possibilities that, had not Berna- dotte been chosen Crown Prince of Sweden, Napoleon would have died upon tlie throne of France, instead of upon a dreary isle in mid-ocean. And how different would be the map of Europe to-day! How different its condition! It is a noteworthy fact that while all the brothers, relatives, and favorites, whom the great Napoleon placed on old or new thrones in Europe, fell from place and power, Bernadotte, who accepted a kingdom against the wishes of Napoleon and who turned his arms against him, remained upon the throne, added the crown of Norway to that of Sweden, lived to the ripe old age of over four score years, and died a King. 572 SWEDEX AND THE SAVEDES. But tliei'e is another view of the Houses of Bernadotte and Bonaparte that gives me more j)leasure to contem- ph^te. The most cruel act ^Napoleon was ever guilty of was driving from his throne, his home, and his heart, the beauti- ful and devoted Josephine, wife of his early love — and for A\'hat; That he might make an alliance Avith one of the Imperial Houses of Enrope, and found a dynasty that ,x.^-J^t. 'Xm might be peri^etual. ^Vife, and love, and heart, and home, and all that was best in iiis nature, he sacrificed on the altar of Ids ambition to found a Naxwleonic dynasty. " Man x^roj^oses, but God disj^oses." Napo- leon, his only son, and his nepheAv have all been driven from the throne of France. And the last reasonable hope of the House of Bonaparte was extin- guished with the spear- thrnst of a savage in Ziilu Land, when the young Prince was killed; but the direct descendant of the divorced, repudiated, and broken- hearted Josephine sits on a throne to-day, and wears the crowns of two kingdoms. For Josephine's son bj^ a former marriage, Eugene de Beauharnais, married the Princess Augusta of Bavaria. To them was born a daughter, wliom Eugene named for his mother. When little Josephine had grown to be a beautiful girl of sixteen, she became the bride of Oscar I. - Bernadotte' s only son — and, as time rolled on, the mother of King Oscar II. " God's mill grinds slow, but sure." JOSEPHINE, AS CROWN PRINCESS OF SWEDEN AND NORWAY, CHAPTER XLYI, \r«i\«i / MA USTBAXD. CHANGE in the administration of the United States terminated mj^ ofRcial residence in Sweden in Jnne, fj^lj 1885. The following autnmn and winter I spent in ^1.;^^ America; but, when spring came again, there canje witli it an irresistible desire for the long snmmer days and the Inminous nights of the JSTorthland. I knew now the feeling that must pervade the vast hosts of water-fowl as they wing their way on grand spring migra- tions toward the Pole. So I sailed away over the ocean to spend my snmmer vacation in good old Sweden. A pleasant July morning, in the year of grace 1886, found me standing on the deck of the swift steamer Yestkusteu., as she threaded her way northward through the labyrinth of rock islands that line the Swedish west coast. Suddenlj^ my friend exclaimed: "There we have Marstrand ! ' ' And, looking north, I saw a huge, gray ronnd-tower rising above the rocky masses of the coast and overlooking the stormy Kattegat. The tower grew loftier as we approached. High on its front, semi-circular port-holes looked down upon us, like the half-closed eyes of some frost-giant of the Northland, bastions outlined themselves below, and over the ramparts cannon frowned. We glide through a narrow canal — cut between the cliffs some fifty years ago, to afford the little wooden gunboats of that day an opportunity to retreat under the guns of the fortress — and now the town of Marstrand opens out to view; its red-tiled houses, patches of green trees, and square white church-tower, grouped closely together under the cliff. (573> 574 SWEDEN" AND THE SWEDES. The first feeling tliat strikes an American approaching Marstrand is one of snrprise, not nnmingled with concern. Is there not some mistake about all this ? Have you not been misinformed * You look in vain for some large hotel, like those we are accustomed to at Coney Island, Isles of Shoals, or Mount Desert. Nothing of the sort is to be seen. Here is a cozy tishing-hamlet, with no building rising above its quaint cottages, save the church-tower and the grim fortress of Carlsten, and you have no inclination to apply for lodgings at either place. Yet the guide-book tells us that four thousand guests visit Marstrand during the siimmer. And this may be true; MARbTRAtJD for, as the Vestkusteu glides alongside the quay, crowds of people come strolling out of the narrow streets upon the broad landing to meet us. These can not be villagers. Girls in natty sailor-hats and blue sailor-costumes trimmed Avitli broad white braids, and gentlemen in knockabouts and canvas shoes, do not belong to the Swedish coast-folk. Summer loungers are they, and how pretty the girls look, with their blue eyes and blonde hair, their bright faces flushed by exercise and crimsoned a bit b\^ the sunlight streaming down through their red parasols. Now the gang-plank is run out, and over it crowd the passengers. What loving greetings they receive from friends on shore ! Such oft-repeated "Welcome! welcome! dear little friend!" Such shaking of hands, such tender JIAKSTKAND. 575 little love-pats, with smiling, nodding, and kissing, can scarce be seen anywhere save in Sweden. Bnt, what about a hotel ? I recollect on visiting Lyon, the great world' s factory of silks, I strolled out, on the evening of my arrival, without a guide and sought everywhere for some great manufactory, such as we see at Lowell, Lawrence, or Lewiston. Not a : ttAvy ' ALPHYDDAN factory-building to be found. How was this '( Why, every one of the many thousand opera- tives Avorked at home in his own little house, or room, and so all Lyon was one vast factory. And the entire town of Marstrand is one hotel, or, to be exact, lodging-house. The Marstrand prospectus states that the people "live for and upon the guests." This may be rather a strong way of putting it; but, as far as rooms are concerned, the inhabitants certainly offer up house and home to their visitors, and where they live themselves, meanwhile, is a problem I was never able to solve. 576 SWEDEN AND THE SWEDES. I found cleao, neat rooms and that greatest boon, a com- fortable bed, at the house of master-builder Andreen. It stood close to the church, and It was to me an entertain- ment, especially at night if I chanced to be awake, to hear the old clock in the great, square bell-tower strike the quarters in a high treble key, and then, when the fourth stroke was sounded, thunder forth the hour in deep bass. At Marstrand, everybody locks his door when he goes out; but he invariably hangs the key on a nail alongside. There is never any necessity for locking up anything in Sw-eden, and in this instance the locking is done simply that the key hanging at the door-side maj^ indicate to callers that you are not at home. Sauntering down the highway on the broad square-stone flagging I came to a little park, well shaded by rows of stately trees. Here a brass band "blows," as the Swedes saj^, with great correctness of speech, and here, both at noon and evening, is the fashionable promenade. I ascended a steep little slope on one side of the i^ark, and took my dinner in a bright, airy pavilion called "Alphyddan."' Its slight elevation scarcely justifies its ele- vated name, but the good fare served there would warrant much lofty praise. Here almost every guest breakfasts, and dines, and sups. And to this spot are confined the smells of cooking, the clatter of dishes, and the vociferous merriment that sometimes accompany a late dinner, or souper. But to all this no one objects, for whatever occurs at "Alphyddan " can not disturb you in your quiet distant room. At the foot of the park is the ' ' Soeietets Hus ' ' — an exten- sive and lofty hall, with stage and galleries surrounded by cozy reading, lounging, dressing, and billiard rooms. At the " Society House " is dancing every Wednesday and Satur- day evenings. Here bazaars are held, entertainments given, and here, either within doors or on the broad j)iazzas with- out, is the asseml^ling-place and general headquarters of Marstrand. Across the park, a high crest of land is reached by a steep MARSTRAND. 577 and toilsome road, wliicli the Swedes have aptly named "Dygdens Stig"—" The path of virtue;" the next street below is level and called, with equal felicity, " Lastens Bana" — "The road of vice." There is another park; near the steamboat landing, called "Paradiset," though where it got its heavenly name I could never hud out. Here the band blows from eight to nine THE 'SOCIETY HOUSE," in the morning, and here the world of Marstrand comes to drink multifarious healing waters, both natural and manufactured, and get up an appetite for breakfast by an early walk in Paradise. It is "Paradise Lost," to be sure, to leave the park, especially if you follow "The road of vice;" but you con- sole yourself during breakfast with the thought that you may return by " The path of virtue " and enjoy " Paradise Regained." If you have a mind for a stroll, there are many you may take on this rugged, breezy isle, and when the west wind blows, you will surely ramble over the rocky cliffs that look out upon the broad Kattegat, and see the waves break on many a rock headland. To your vision the Kattegat is as boundless as the ocean, for neither the sand-dunes of Denmark nor the rocky fjelds of Norway loom above the 37 578 SWEDEN AND THE SWEDES. unbroken horizon; and, when the wind sinks to a summer breeze and the waves subside to a gentle ripple, nowhere does the sea smile and glitter in the sunlight more brightly than off Marstrand. Along the harbor-quay are moored a fleet of sail- boats. They are made fast side by side, their stems touch- ing the stone curbing, and it is invigorating to read their ringing northern names as you stroll along— Gicdrtm, Inge- horg, Snithiod, EriTc, Svea, Svalan. Svalan looks freshest, her seat running round the cock- pit most comfortably. We jump in and glide out of the sound upon the open sea. The breeze fresh- ens, and, hauling close on the wind, we bowl gently SAILING HOWIE FROM THE KATTEGAT over the rolling waves, bound for the dreaded Pater Noster ledges, which dent the horizon four miles away. Hanmskar is the largest of these foaming rocks. Here a lofty iron light-house rears itself against the sky. The iron props, and spurs, and columns that hold aloft the bea- con seem light and fragile as the spider's web, and the perpendicular tube in the middle, inside which the ascent is made, looks no larger round than the lead-pencil with which you are writing. At the foot of the light is the keeper's low house, built ot stone and whitewashed, and just beyond, two little red towers; one holds the fog-bell, and the other is the wind-mill that winds up the clock which strikes the warnings for tlie fog-bound mariner. And all else is rock, and sea, and foaming breaker. MAKSTRAND. 579 As we drew near, a pilot- boat — with the broad red stri^je painted down the middle of her sail, and laden with barrels of oil — lay to, under the lea of the skerry, and as we luffed up, a man ran out of the light toward us, with a coil of rope in his hand, and made as if to throw us a line; but we shook our heads, waved our hands in farewell, put the Swallow about, and with a free sheet sailed swiftly home. One evening early in August, the blustering western wind died in calm, the northern skies were filled with a rosy glow, high in the heavens thin cirrus-clouds, so finely spun they might be the lace-work of angels, shone bright, like gauziest tracery of silver, and so they would shine white and pure and translucent all through the night till they reddened with the fires of dawn. The water in the sound lay smooth and iinruffled as oil, and reflected the glow of the sky. At nine o'clock a boat, gaily lighted with lanterns, di'ifted out into the luminous twilight, and the band on board played a melod}^ of the Northland. Every boat in the harbor followed. Though there was no wind, their sails were set. With a stroke of the oar now and then, they drifted along after the music. How weird, and odd, and northern, and far away they looked ! these little craft, with their stumpy masts, their dark sx^rit-sails, and their clumpy forms outlined against the bright northern sky or dim gray cliffs. Farther away were row-boats, hung around with Chinese lanterns, and merry companies on board sung the songs of their native land. Everybody was out; the long quay was crowded with an admiring throng- that moved along abreast of the music, and vigorously applauded every selection. When the season was at its height, the good ladies held a bazaar for a number of charitable purposes. At five o'clock, a brilliant procession passed through the park. At its head, marched "Svea," goddess of Sweden, represented by a beautiful daughter of the neigh- boring city of Grothenbiirg, clad in the national colors— blue and yellow — and by her side walked the goddess of liberty, 580 SWEDEN AND THE SWEDES. in the person of a graceful American girl, robed in tlie stars and stripes, with a liberty-cap on her head. I remember nothing else of the merry and glittering troop so well as ' ' Marstrand' s horse, ' ' a very meek — not to say discouraged — animal, that followed quietly in the ranks, little knowing that he had become famous, hj being the only horse on the island, but feeling, no doubt, all the loneliness of fame, since he had been separated from all of horsekind for seventeen years. The park was lined with booths where fortunes were told and trinkets offered for sale, and there was a boat — a THE SOUTHERN BATTERY AT MARSTRAND. regular sea-going boat— propped up on blocks and with sails set, where youngsters could ascend on board for a small fee, fish over the side with real fish-hooks, lines and sinkers, have bites, and haul up real fish, too, which an obliging fisherman, concealed underneath the boat, fastened on to their hooks at judicious intervals. Then came tableaux in the ' ' Society House, ' ' and a grand ball to wind up with, when the goddess of liberty, true to her colors, danced the American "Boston."' And the net proceeds of all of these festivities were a thousand dollars in hard money, wherewith the good ladies and their deserv- ing charities were content. MARSTKAND. 581 One morning I went on board the steamer Uddecalla and steamed up tlie long Uddevalla Fjord, that runs far into the " bowels of the land." The steamer was magnifi- cently arranged to prevent anyone from seeing anytliing of the country we passed through. Close in front of the pilot- liouse a barrier ran across tlie entire uiJ]3er-deck, and was so higli tliat you could just lift your eyes over it by stand- ing painfully upright on a raised platform. Tlien tlie various houses on deck, the awnings, and hangings were so placed that the only unobstructed view you could get was dead astern. Every traveler knows the lamentable differ- ence between a receding, dissolving view and an approach- ing, clearing one. I got a stool, went forward and sat among the deck- passengers in the bows. But now comes the mate of the ship. He touches his cap, says he thinks he has a place for me with which I will be better pleased, and will I be so good as to go with him ? "Yes, certainly." And there on the u^Dper-deck he has placed a high, three-legged office-stool, with the seat screwed up on the big wooden screw in the center. Comfortably seated on this perch, I enjoy every view, while the high screen protects me from the wind. Surely Swedish polite- ness and kindly interest overleap any barriers that can be set up. As we sailed farther into the land, the huge rock masses that form the walls and islands of the fjord showed patches of green, and here and there a straggling growth of pines clinging to the scanty soil. Blakullen, a lofty hill, around which distance threw a blue mantle, raised its rounded rock mass grandly above the deep waters of the bay. We touched at the wooded island of Stenungson, where the summer saunterers all came down to the little pier to see us, and next laid to at the new watering-place, Ljungskile, gay with flags flying from its pretty hill-side villas, and guarded by two Avooden soldiers stuck up on a rock islet, and then steamed on to Gustafsberg. Here was a tall grove of giant ash, and oak, and birch; underneath was (582) MARSTKAND. 583 greensward with winding paths, comfortable benches, and a red parasol gleaming here and there. What a change from the wind-swept cliffs of Marstrand to this peaceful, shady grove ! I threw myself upon an inviting bench; the wind mur- mured in the tree-tops overhead, and I could see the waters of the fjord drifting in white-caps across the narrow vista between long rows of tree-trunks. And now a tall, slender girl passed by, and just as I was mentally classifying her as a "strawberry-blonde," she calls out to a companion : "Oh, come along ! " How strangely English sounded in this Swedish grove ! Then a venerable gentleman in white vest and black frock-coat steps up and introduces himself as the mayor of Uddevalla, lying two miles farther on, at the very head of the fjord, and politely offers to accomjiany me there and show me the town. One day I climbed the hill at Marstrand to the grim old fortress — Carlsten. I was surprised at the vast area encircled by its ramparts, its spacious court- yards, and lofty bastions. In some places the walls are blasted out of the solid cliff, in others built of granite with beautifully finished cornices. Carlsten is not a niin in any sense, but a well-preserved fortress of a by-gone age, with cannon in position and forked iron stakes still standing just inside the entrance for the guard to rest their muskets on; but the guard was long since taken aAvay, and only one old soldier, a ' ' care- taker," remains in all the fort. What a lofty castle by the sea this old custodian has for a residence ! From the ramparts you get extended views over the wild rock masses, which, strewn helter-skelter along the coast, form the skargard, with many a strip of deep-blue sea resting peacefully between; or, turning west, your eye runs over the broad expanse of the open Kattegat. At Marstrand one may have all sorts of baths, hot and cold, with rubbing and kneading with sea-weed or mud from the bottom of the ocean; or you may dive into the sea itself. The bathing-house for swimmers covers a good deal (584) MAKSTRAND. of ground, or rather water, for it stands out bodily over the sea, resting on iron pillars that are fast in the sea bottom, thus inclosing a large quadrangular section of the bay. In this great basin fifty men may bathe and dive and swim at once, without inconvenience, and without the slightest danger that any of their fair companions at the ball last night will "molest or make afraid." Each x^erson has a little room to undress in, and all rooms open out on a plat- form or gallery that runs entirely around the basin, and is some three feet above the water, into which steps descend at convenient intervals. There is no tide in the Kattegat, so that the water in the basin remains practicallj^ at the same height — a great convenience. A similar bathing-house for ladies adjoins the one for gentlemen. Everybody dives or jumps in entirely oai naturel; and this way of sea-bathing seems to me to have many advan- tages over ours, where you must don a bathing-costume, ran down over a great expanse of sea-beach, wade into the water by degrees, getting a separate chill to every inch of your height, and, furthermore, feel sand between your toes for a week afterward. The temperature of the sea-water in summer at Mar- strand is about 65° Fahrenheit; the average of the air about 68°. Would it be possible to designate a more delightful degree of warmth for either ? The temperature varies very little here day and night. Marstrand lies on a fortunate projecting elbow of the coast, several miles from the mainland. It is, in fact, one vast rock cliff some two miles in circumference. This great rock is heated by the sun throughout the long days of summer, and gives out the heat thus stored up through the short summer nights, when it is a serene x)leasure to stroll out-of- doors, gaze on the luminous skies, and inhale the balmy cliif-warmed air. So mild and even is the climate that Marstrand is called "The Swedish Madeira." Pleasant it is to sit on the outer cliffs of the island and look forth upon the sea. The west wind V)lows gently in from the Kattegat, and you may sit there by the hour, (586) MARSTKAND. 587 h^-PPY) calm, contented, and rest tired body and weary soul. A cove hollows into the middle of Marstrand on the sea- side. The southern cape is a line of rocky islets. Sitting on the cliff above, I see three families of eider-ducks swim- ming and feeding along this southern shore. They are all, both old and young, a russet brown, the color of the sea- weed — not a white-dappled, gaudy drake amongst them. For just as soon as the ducklings clip the shell and begin to quack o' nights, 'paterfamilias says: "What's this? This is something I hadn't reckoned on. Tliis wasn't in the marriage contract." So all the patres familiaruin in the skargard assemble and hold an indignation meeting. They resolve they won't stand it anyway, and flocking all together, fly leagues out to sea and to the north, where, forming a bachelor club, they enjoy i^eace and quietness for the rest of the summer with the greatest selfishness known to duckdom, and with never a thought of the "loved and lost. " ' Lucky club o' drakes, that can thus play ' ' ducks and drakes" with their domestic duties! So dark-brown madam is left with her dark-brown brood, and I see, as she swims along the shore and teaches her dear ducklings to dive for the succulent muscles, that she is bringing them up correctly after her own notions, and per- haps, also, is perfectly satisfied in having her lazy, hand- some, good-for-nothing husband out of the way, far over the sea, where he can set no bad example to her little flock of brownies. Sail-boats filled with meiry companies are gliding over the bounding waves. You catch a glimpse of a red shawl, see the white flutter of a handkerchief, or hear a snatch of a Swedish song. The breeze freshens and the yachts sail merrily. Low, misty, white clouds roll ujj from beyond the edge of ocean and come drifting overhead. The day is warm, and how refreshingly the sea-breeze fans your brow ! Now a plover cuts by, flying south. I hear his shrill, well-known whistle, and looking up, catch sight of him as he flashes by within gunshot. It is only mid- August, but 588 SWEDEN AND THE SAVEDES. the birds are already migrating toward tlieir soiitliern, winter home. The heather is noAv in full bloom, and every little mossy cleft and dell between the gray rocks is draped with imperial par^^le by myriad tinj^ blossoms. I meet a merry troop of girls going through St. Erik' s Park, a little green grove between gray granite cliffs. The maids of Sweden all look happy and contented, and their faces are always just on the point of broadening out into a pleasant smile. Beautiful blonde hair they have. I know of nothing prettier than the iinffy, low-clustering curls that burst out from beneath the smoothly up-combed back hair and wave, like golden, flossy silk, about the pink-and-white neck of a Swedish maid. In Sweden the lord of creation is always the first to salute. iSTever will a lady be so rude or bold as to take the initiative in bowing. There she comes, off at one side — the girl you danced with last evening. She looks straight ahead, just as she has been brought up to look, and she is about to pass by, entirely unmindful of your existence. Perhaps you think she only sees where she looks. Not a bit of it ! She has always half the circle at least under observation. Try her ! She is away off on the path, and almost past. You make a motion of your hand toward your hat; round comes her j^retty, bright, smiling face, as blithe as the bows of a yacht when you put the helm doAvii in tacking, and she bows like a Diana just at the exact moaient you lift your hat. High up on the cliff, not far below the grim walls of the fortress, was a comfortable settee in a pleasant nook that commanded an extended view. I had started for that settee several times, but always found it occupied by a gentleman in a gray overcoat. One moi'ning I went with- out my breakfast and found the settee vacant. ' ' St. Erik ' ' was l:)urnt into it in black letters. This was not the name of the gentleman in overcoat of gray, but of quite another and more distinguished gentleman who died many hundred years ago, and whose name has been adopted by a most worthy society at Marstrand, whose object and purpose is MAKSTKAND. 589 to place settees in prettj^ places, plant parks, and lay out pleasant walks. So the inscription "St. Erik" did not intimidate me in the least; it was in fact the synonym of "welcome," and I gladly sat me down and drank in the grand ocean view. Now a troop of boys bustle by, carrying toy sloops in their hands to sail in the salt pond near Toe Cape. They come down the cliff in the opposite direction from which I ascended, and must have climbed over the hill of the fortress from the village. Oh, yes, they were going to have a good time, that they were. And which was the fastest boati "Oh, that big one that Mis has got. ' ' ' " But do you see the little fellow coming round the rock now with that enormous big„ boat « Well, that boat is built just like a truly boat— not dug '^ ""^'''^ marstrand family. out, but put together, you know; and that one beats all Marstrand. " ' So they hurry on to the salt pond. Is life pleasant ? Yes it is— at least for boys. More so, perhaps, than for the gentleman in the gray overcoat, who now comes walking along the path with a sun-umbrella over his head. He does not see me till he is close to, and then immediately affects not to see me at all, passing by with the greatest indifference, seemingly uncon- scious of my existence, and never once looking at his favoi'ite seat, but humming an old tune as he saunters on down the path, and yet all the while he knew exactly what I was thinking aboiat, and I knew of the dark and desperate resolves of early rising on the morrow that were chasing one another through his fevered brain. '^■^y^i^is— kA "■ in front of me, and four miles away, are the dreaded Pater Noster reefs we visited the other day, Right (590) MARSTEAND. 591 with Hamnskai' s light rising in its delicate tracery, but way round to the left and southwest the unbroken horizon of the boundless sea. Over its level floor fans in the mild summer wind. As I look dreamily seaward, my thoughts are suddenly recalled by a little bullfinch that comes hopping and chat- tering over the rocks and heather. She darts briskly about, hops ever nearer, cocks her little head coquettishly one side, hops into another position, cocks her head again, and chat- ters away afresh, saying : "What's that for a fellow, sitting so still there on the settee ? Is he dead or alive, I' d like to know '( ' ' A small yellow-brown hawk comes darting and stagger- ing by in his drunken flight. At this apparition saucy Miss Bullfinch's curiosity suddenly ceases, and she hurries off without saying " Good-bye." One morning I jumped into the good slooi^ Soalan, and headed up the northern strand of Uddevalla Fjord. What a pretty nook among the hills is Backevik! its red-tiled houses embowered in trees standing green and umbrageous between ui^lifted jaws of dark-gray cliff. 'Now a sound of blows — " clap ! clap ! clai^ ! " — in sharp staccato, reaches the ear. By the side of a little fresh jjond near the sea, three Swedish peasant maidens are beating their wash of clothes. They are kneeling on the margin of the pond, and with wooden clubs are whacking the last drops of water out of clothes already washed and rinsed, with steady, vigorous, business-like blows. Two of them stand up and, shading their eyes with their hands, look at us as we sail close by. I wave my kerchief; instantly they wave in return, and then they stand waving and laughing till, sailing by Rodberget, they are lost to view. Here the clifi'-side slopes gently to the water, and on the smooth surface of the rock I see rows of large white cliar- acters like northern runes painted on the inclined tablet of the cliff. I try in vain to spell ont their meaning. Then Skipper Ernst Jonsson, sitting in the stern, tiller in hand, gently laughs and says : ' ' Why, those are clothes spread out 692 SWEDEN AND THE SWEDES. on the rock to dry." So they were, to be sure; and down below was another group of washer-maidens wringing and whacking the rest of tlieir wasli, and laughing and chatting in the most neighborly waj^. Surely it was wash-day all iilong the Uddevalla Fjord. "But it is not every cliff that's tit to dry clothes on," says the skipper. "The cliff must be either clean rock, or else have a little green growth on it. There is a yellow moss that grows most everywhere on the cliffs, and if the clothes come on that, then they will always be full of yellow blotches." We sailed on to Molnebo Strand, a broad cove in the TOE CAPE. great island Tjorn, with a swale of cultivated land between shore and cliff, and two substantial red houses with white window-casings, and a larger white casing like an inverted Y straddling the gable end along the margin of the roof. Here we put Simlaji about for home. The sullen gray cliffs of the west coast are now at their best, everywhere streaked and dotted with the purple of blooming heather. In a little green gash in the gray cliff sat R5nnangen chapel. There was scarce room to wedge it in between the jaws of the cliff which towered high above its steeple on either side. It sat in the narrow gorge like a child' s toy dropped in there and forgotten. MAR8TEAND. 593 The farthest low cliff of Marstrand, where its uttermost point drops into the sea, is appropriately named Ta Udden. There, when the west wind blows fresh, gather the men and maidens to see the waves beat, and the spray dash, and the foam blow in great white, fleecy balls across the smooth surface of Toe Cape. Much of tlie way thither is over the level rock, and there is no more need of building a path than were it over a marble table. But one might go astray for all that, as one may sail wide of his mark on the level sea. So, soon after leaving St. Erik's Park, we see this: iolj " and then a long string of W- circles — thus: "o o o o o o o" — painted white along the dark, smooth tablet of rock over which you are walking. This, the gentle and intelligent reader will at once see, means follow in the direction of the arrow, the round spots; and so, following on from circle to circle, you come safely to the cape. The promenade always reminded me of threading my way through the Maine woods by the blazes on the trees. Mounting the hill-side from the grove of St. Erik, a little pond always greets you, like a blue dimple on the face of the cliff. What a merry little pond it is ! always laughing, rippling, crinkling — blue, bright, and sunny, reflecting heaven, and sporting with the western breeze. Then there is Nalens Oga — the Needle's Eye — through which you pass to take your stroll along the western shore; and if you are willing to climb a steep hill-side near the bathing-houses, you may enter the cool recesses of Karle- kens Grotta — the Grotto of Love. The Swedes sit for hours on the cliffs, neither doing nor caring to do any mortal thing, save to look out over the great level floor of the sea, hear the gentle plash of the waves along the rocks, watch the ever-changing play of the break- ers, cresting, breaking, foaming — blue wave mounting to translucent green on its thin upper edge, capping in spray and rolling over in white foam, to strike the rock and spurt aloft in a shower of pearls. And what business has talk or work at this grand contemplation of the ocean ? The con- templation itself is enough; it tills us, and if there be room for 38 594 SWEDEN AND THE SWEDES. aught else, it is but a hope : " Oh, would that it were forever summer, forever pleasant shores, and we forever young ! " I was loth to leave Marstrand, and bid good-bye to this pleasant, healthful spot. But if anything can reconcile one to departure, it is the pretty way in which the Swedes bid you good-bye. They fairly cover their de- parting friends with nosegays and garlands of tioweis. The ladies be- come walking bouquets, and even the gentlemen THE NEEDLE'S EYE, are uot forgottcu. Every- body troops down to the pier to see you ofE. They stand smiling and nodding iintil the steamer starts on her course. Then with a quick little spurt the blonde beauties run along the quay till abreast the bows of your boat, then everyone whips out her kerchief like a flash. The crowd bursts into a hundred waving white points, and your northern friends stand and wave, and wave, and wave their good wishes till you are out of sight. Marstrand, Salve ! Yale ! CHAPTER XLYII. L YSEKl L. jANY other watering-places dot the breezy west coast of Sweden. Most famous among them all, always excepting Marstrand, is Lysekil. This '^^c-d^i-s^=^ is, perhaps, more distinctively a health-resort, or "cure,"' than many of the Swedish sea-sanitariums. At its head, directing all, overseeing all, is Doctor and Professor Carl Curman, and his regimen is so natural and beneficial THE WATERING-PLACE OF LYSEKIL. that every one is pleased to be under the kindly care and wise direction of the genial doctor. Stockholmers most frequent Lysekil, while the good people of Gothenburg throng to Marstrand, and there is much good-natured rivalry between the two places. "We have three thousand guests with us," loudly pro claims Marstrand. (5951 596 SWEDEN AND THE SWEDES. " Well, what of it « " retorts Lysekil. "We have three new betrothals in our congenial family. Three couples made happy for life. Go to, with your three thousand, and never a romance of love among them all!" It was on midsummer's eve, 1886, that I first sailed into Lysekil. Profes- sor Curman met me on tlie pier, and escorted me to his pretty cot- tage, built in the old Norse style, and called by the wits of the place, in playful recog- nition of the doctor's profession, Medici. ' ' Lysekil proper is a thriving borough near the end of the long peninsula of St4ngenas, and is known far and wide for its delicate anchovies; but Professor Curman has made a watering-place out of the extreme point that juts beyond the village into the Kattegat. Here were bathing-hoiises, a new commodious "Societets House," a good restaurant, and abun- dance of accommodation for summer saunterers, for i* it was yet early in the season, and placards bearing [ the legend ' ' Rum Att Hyra ' ' were conspicuously placed in the windows of many of the cottages. But I was not forced to accept any of these proffered ' rooms, for Doctor Curman, with a grand hospitality befit- ting the King of Lysekil, placed at my disposition a pretty LYSEKIL. 597 villa, perched highest up the rock clilT-side overlooking the broad, blue Gullmars Fjord, with its amphitheatre of dark rock hills. As I sat on the piazza in the evening, the low-swinging sun with level rays brought out vividly all the colors of the landscape; green dells appeared here and there along the rugged rock wall over the fjord, and farther west the eye dwelt gladly upon the white village of Fiskebilckskil, nestling among its cliffs. Then came a beautiful play of colors; the hard gray rock masses became soft and blue, then shifted to purple, and every vale was lilled with a dark-purple mist. As night drew on, clouds obscured the sky, and a drenching lain fell ; yet bonfires blazed brightly from the rocky headlands along the fjord, as they had done on this same night for thousands of years, in honor of the sunlit midsummer eve and the sun-god — Balder. When you come to register at the restaurant, the pretty waitress will ask yoir three questions : ' ' Which table would the gentleman like to sit at? How many courses will the gentleman have?" and, "By what title would the gentleman be pleased to be addressed ? ' ' And her manner will clearly show that she regards the last question as the most important of all. The chief pastime of Lysekil is yachting, and a health- giving pastime it is. You may sail for eighteen miles up the broad Gullmars Fjord, you may thread the labyrinth of rock islands north or south along the coast, or you may steer west for the open sea. The sail-boats here are thirty to thirty-five feet long, broad-beamed, stanch, able, sea- worthy craft. They are lap-streak, with the overlapping planks an inch and a half or two inches thick, strongly built, fastened with treenails, and not painted, but scraped and oiled, till the natural light-yellow color of the wood shines brightly. These boats are all sloops and all cutter-rigged; but their hull in no wise resembles the English cutter, being broad and flaring, rather than deep. They are fast sailers and beat well to windward. The whole center of the boat is a cockpit, with a seat running around it long enough to 598 SWEDEN" AND THE SWEDES. accommodate a party of a dozen or twenty. Forward of the mast, is a cuddy with a deck-hatch, and aft of the cock- pit, near the stern, is a round hole, like a well, in the deck, in which the skipper stands as he steers, while the boy tends the jib forward. Some forty of these large sail-boats, or yachts, lie at the piers of Lysekil. At Pier No. 1 are moored the boats of SAIL-BOATS OF LYSEKIL Lysekil; Pier No. 2 is occupied by the craft of the weather- beaten skippers from Fiskebackskil, over the fjord; while the last pier, No. 3, is appropriated by a miscellaneous assemblage of boats from anywhere and every where around. Stepping out from your breakfast in the restaurant, you see the hardy vikings of to-day standing expectant on the little piers, the white sails of their crack-sloops rising close behind. As I stood looking at them my first morning at Lysekil, a bright new boat, with spotless sails and deck, luffs up and shoots alongside the pier. Surely I conld not find a better LYSEKIL. 599 yacht than this ! I step aboard, the boat falls off, and soon we are bowling over the bright, blue waters of the fjord. On, mile after mile, between dark rock isles and past the white light-house atop the black crag of Island's Head. Now GuUholmen appears before us — a cluster of fishing- houses perched upon a cone-shaped rock; but we leave the village on our starboard hand and, jibing our main- sail, stand in to Ellose Fjord. Soft velvety patches of cul- tivation appear here and there gashed into the dark rock walls of the bay. In the center of every green patch is a red farm-house with red-tiled roof. A gar- net set in an emerald field, and that in turn in the cold gray rock. As we draw nearer, we see the little yel- low path winding through the green grass from house to shore, a little wharf thrust out into the cove, and a boat at anchor hard by. A fisher-boy rows past as we look, a fisher-girl stands in the stern of the skiff, a red cap on her head, and sets the nets as the bo}" rows on. Standing on the stem of the yacht, leaning back against the jib-stay, listening to the pleasant rippling of the wave- lets against the advancing bow, I dreamily watch the pano- rama of the coast unfold itself. As a cove opens out, and a green valley appears between the cliffs, and there, snug in the far peak of the vale, the little red cottage of the THE VIKINGS OF TO-DAY. 600 SWEDEN AND THE SWEDES. Swedish fisher-farmer shows its tree-embowered gable, with its neat wliite window-sashes and pretty garden alongside, I can but think that there in that secluded nook dwell peace and joy, and that the will-o'-the-wisp all men follow, biit none attain, might there, perchance, be mine. As we sail farther into the fjord, the valleys grow larger. Here in a favoring cleft of green is huddled a village between the cliff walls; and a large, black, sea-going schooner is anchored in the little bay. So we glide on, between the large island Skafto and the main; then, hauling close on the wind, shoot into the narrow passage of Strommarne. Here the stream was strong enough to justify the name of the sound, and, like the wind, dead ahead. This rock-bound strait was in places scarce wider than our boat was long; yet Skipper Julius Johansson, by skillful maneuvering and quick work with sheets and tillei', beat the Dorat through the narrow pass. " Well done, skipjjer," said I, as Johansson eased off the mainsheet, and we sailed out into open water. " Yes," he replied, " she sails even better than I thought she was going to." For it appeared that the skipper had received the Dorat only yesterday from her builder. To- day was the first day he had sailed her. "And I took it for a good sign, ' ' he added, ' ' that the very first time I sailed her up to the pier at Lysekil, a gentleman should hail me and engage the yacht even before I made mj- first landing — and the gentleman from far-off America, too." I became interested in the Borate and cast my best nau- tical eye over her. She is thirty-two feet long over all, and twelve feet beam. She draws four feet of water aft and three and one-half forward, and will easily take out a party of twenty people. Her sails are mainsail, gaff-topsail, jib running up on a stay from the stem, and flying-jib set on a temporary boom or bowsprit, run out through an iron ring in the bows. She cost three hundred and eighteen dollars all rigged and found ready for sea. The price per day for this yacht, including skipper and LVSKKJ.L. 601 boy, was five crowns (about one dollar and twenty-five cents), or twenty-five cents an hour — about one-quarter of what you would pay in America for such a craft. I was pleased with both the Dorat and her skipper. I chartered her for my entire stay at Lysekil. Generally the guests at Lysekil club together in little parties of four to a dozen gentlemen and ladies, all friends, and each party engages a boat for the time of their stay, dividing the ex^^ense between them, which in this way is reduced to a mere trifle. I found that my engaging a boat for myself alone was considered quite a piece of extravagance, and at once secured for me the rei^utation of a millionaire. While Skipper Johansson and 1 were chatting we sailed by Lund- viken with its A LYSEKIL VILLA. STANGE HUFVUD. pretty grove, where the bath- ers come picnicking, and soon were out once more on the broad GuUmars Fjord. After a run of three miles across, we laid alongside the pier of Lysekil just in time to see trampen, the promenade front of the great bathing-house, filled with men and maidens in bright costumes, taking their daily exercise betwixt a plunge in the sea and dinner. It is not alone the yachts that are cheap at Lysekil. Everything else is in proportion. The price of a sea-bath, including a pleasant dressing-room, towels, one of them as long as yourself, etc., is six cents; or you may bathe the- entire summer for two dollars and fifty cents. Indeed, the prices of everything at a Swedish watering-place will keep 602 SWEDEN AND THE SWEDES. an American in a state of constant and agreeable surprise. You can get a comfortable room for half a dollar a day, and excellent board for seventy-five cents. Tlien there Is your yacht, as we have seen, with skipper and boy " thrown in,"" for a dollar and a quarter, and should you happen to make the daj last till midnight, they will never grumble. It is a simple fact, capable of mathematical demonstra- tion, that an American can pass the summer at any of the sea-side resorts of Sweden, and pay his passage from the United States and back again, and yet save one-half of what he would expend at any of our fashionable watering- places. I wonder some of my long-suffering countrj^iien do not try the exjperiment. The language need not deter them, since English is spoken very generally among the educated classes on the west coast, ranking first among foreign languages here, as French does at Stockholm and the other cities on the east coast of the peninsula. Many Swedish words have a close resemblance to their English equivalents. For instance, you soon learn that "hus" means house, and is pronounced very much like it. At a watering-p)lace, however, you will see hoiises with the sign ' ' Bad Hus ' ' posted thereon. This is shocking. It is bad enough, you naturally think, to have such houses, without publicly proclaiming their infamous character. But wlio can describe yoar feelings, chaste reader, when, turning a corner, you behold over the front door of a large and otherwise innocent-looking building, the legend, "Dam Bad Hus,"" and see with your own eyes pretty, smil- ing Swedish lasses tripping in through the portal, where the inscription seems to be as horrible as that which Dante saw^ written over the gates of Hades : "All hope abandon, ye who enter here."' Bat, before you leave the charming spot in disgust, ask some Swedish friend to translate the sign for you, and your faith in Sweden and its proprieties will be reassured when he tells you that "Dam Bad Hus" is simply "Ladies' Bathing- Ho use."' To be fair with Lysekil, I will say that LYSEKIL. 6(»3 it was not here, but at Waxholm, that I saw this startling inscription. Life at Lysekil is not only pleasant, but well-regulated. All goes by rule, and with Doctor Carman at the head, you may be sure the rules are enforced. You rise at seven, and generally have a, cup of coffee brought you in your rooms. From eight to nine, many of the guests take the Swedish movement cure in a hall fitted up for the purpose. Others promenade in the park or along the water-side, drinking meanwhile the waters that have been x')rescribed for them, and listening to the music of a brass band. The waters of all the spas of Europe may be obtained here fresh and pure. At nine o'clock is breakfast, and at ten the yachts sail away, one after the other, with merry companies on board. Between one and two the yachts come rippling home from fjord or sea, for now everybody takes a bath, either hot or cold, in a tub, with various rubbings, or a plunge into the sea, followed by a brisk promenade to set the blood in vigorous circulation again. Then follows dinner, at about three. The band plays again for an hour, as you sip your post-i)randial coffee in the o'pen air; and after this all the Avorld of Lysekil sails out once more on the fjord to enjoy the long afternoons of the Northland. At eight o' clock there is served a substantial hot suppjer, with steaks, chops, fish, and the like. Last of all comes a stroll and chat in the glorious lingering twilight, and you retire at ten or eleven. Twice a week there is dancing in the hall of the " Society House," commencing at eight and always ending pjromptly on the stroke of eleven; since it is to get health, not to dance it away, that one comes to Lysekil. Some evenings we sailed across the fjord, a merry boat- load, and took our supper at Fiskebackskil. Here is a quaint old church. Within, a toy ship, full-rigged, but without sails, hangs over the central aisle from a beam near the entrance. The ceiling is arched, and both walls and ceiling are of wood, painted a bright blue. On this, as a background, are painted Scri^rture scenes from both the 604 SWEDEN AND THE SWEDES. Old and j^ew Testament. Walls and ceiling are covered with these paintings; the figures are life-size, and highly colored, with good, ruddy Rubens complexions, and the angels and cherubs, which are tiying around the blue walls in great profusion, are all fat and rotund, red and jolly, and inspire you with most comfortable refiections in relation to the prevailing religious sentiment among the fisher-folk of the village Sailing for the open Kattegat, you pass between two skerries, each sur- -; mounted with a lit- ' i tie stone monument built in the foim of a cone, and white- washed. These are familiarly kno\^ u FISKEBACKSKIL to the fishermen as "Gubben" and "Gum- man" — "Old Man" and "Old Wom an ; ' ' and they courteously give the name "Old Woman' ' to the mon- ument which is adorned with a diagonal red stripe. Turning your prow northward, a run of six miles along the ledges brings yon to the island of Malmcin, noted for its granite quarries and the diminutive size of its native population. These little people were dAvarfed in mind as well as body, and were called Malmo barn, or "children." They were supposed to be a remnant of the aboriginal popu- lation of Sweden. I think they have now disappeared; at all events, we saw nothing of these little folk in our visits to the island. Far outside Malmon lies the high rock of Hallo, with its THE GARDEN AT SALTKALLAN. LYSEKIL. 605 white light-house tower seen from afar. One day, enticed by a favoring breeze, ^ve voyaged on to the north, far beyond Malmon. With a full sail we sped past the fishing- village of Tangen, built on its island rock, its red cottages huddled between gray cliffs, and its row of diminutive lish- houses touching one another, gable ends to the front, stand- ing like a line of soldiers, shoulder to shoulder, along the low curving rock shore. Tangen lies on a sound or thoroughfare. This was now covered with the brown sails of fishing-craft tacking out to sea. I counted one hundred and ten sail in sight at once. All were sloops, about tliirtj"-six feet long, very broad- beamed, and great carriers. It was the 2d of July. The mackerel had struck in on this coast a day or two before, and the fishermen were sailing out for them in every avail- able craft. We glide by the large village of Smogen, where dwell the richest fishermen on the coast; and leaving it on our port hand, bear away to starboard around a cape. A red ware- house appears at the water's edge, then a red cottage, with bushy trees behind in a cleft in the rock; beyond is a boat propp)ed up on the shelf of the cliff; and then, as the harbor opens out, there swings into view a mass of red houses, all with white window-sashes, a bristling cluster of the masts of boats, fish-houses along the shore, and the graceful spire of a church. At the open door of the fish-houses women were cleaning mackerel. I landed on one of the many little i:)iers, and walked along a narrow plank-way, supported on little piles, into the quaint fishing- village of Grafvarna — "the graves." How its very name spoke of the danger and woe of this rocky coast ! The road I took led to the church- yard. I passed in through a narrow slit in the granite wall. Around some of the graves stakes were stuck up, about which was thrown a barrier of sail-cloth to protect the flowers from the wind. One grave was shielded bj' a bit of old fish-net held up by birch-boughs thrust into the earth at the corners of the mound. These wan flowers and 606 SWEDEN AND THE SWEDES. tattered bits of sail and net trembling in the wind around the new-made graves told their one tale of homely pathos. Above the graves rose the handsome spire of the chapel of Gustavns Adolphus. This smart new clmrcli of modern architecture, built of pale brick, seemed strangely out of place in this quaint, bleak fishing-hamlet. I saw one large, commodious house in the town, sur- rounded by a pretty garden. I was not compelled to ask THE FISHING-HAMLET OF GULLHOLMEN wlio was the lucky occupant, for soon a priest appeared, open book in hand, and paced slowly up and down the wide veranda. As we sailed away, two girls came rowing into the harbor with a boat-load of fire-wood. The boat was large, and the load of wood piled high; but the girls rowed along contentedly. They wore black kerchiefs tied around their heads, and their bright-red cheeks, blue eyes, and rows of stalwart white teeth showed to advantage as tlipy nodded and laughed at us healthily and haj^pily. As we passed Tangen on our return, we met the steamer LYSEKIL. 607 Albert Bhrensmrcl, her decks crowded and black with sokliers of the National militia retiirning to their homes along the coast from their annual drill. They good- naturedly shouted and hurrahed, and swung their caps at us as we sailed by. On one of our excursions south from Lysekil, we landed at the little hamlet of Gullholmen, famous as the oldest fishing- village in the province of Bohus, a settlement having been built on this rock islet as long ago as the time of Hakon Hakonsson, between 1240 and 1260. But the hamlet has a better title to fame than this. It is an ancient custom among the Gullholmen bank fishermen, when one of a boat's crew dies, that his comrades ever after carry a line of hooks, called a backa, on their cruises to the North Sea, and all the fish caught on the backa are scrupulously placed apart and given to the widow or minor children of their dead messmate. The fishers' houses of Gullholmen were strewn about the oval cliff with about as much regularity and order as crumbs scattered upon a table. The paths — they could not by any possibility be called streets — zig- zagged between the red cottages, and ran ixp and down over the natural surface of the rock. Where the descents were steeptest, wire cables were stretched, that a^ good hand-hold might save you from a fall. At one place a little oblong mound of earth, about as large as a grave, had been placed on the rock. It was care- fully fenced in, and did duty as a garden. In all the ham- let, there was not earth enough in which to bury the small- est of its inhabitants. Crossing a bridge to the larger island of Hermano, I found a rude red chapel, and around it the little church-yard where the good people of Gullhol- men are brought when they die. Surely the narrow pole bridge hither is a "Bridge of Sighs." Here were little crosses of wood painted white, and tables and monuments of stone, and here, in tJiis far-off hamlet of the Northland, the living had inscribed on the tablets of the dead the same longing for rest, the same hope of immortality, and the same burning desire to meet again beyond the grave that 608 SWEDEN AND THE SWEDES. CONNECTED CROSSES, of Fisherman and Wife at Hermano. has been the prayer of every age and every clime. Twin crosses rose from two mounds side by side. These crosses had bat one horizontal bar in common, which ran across the two upright shafts, and pathetically joined to- gether the graves of man and wife, who fondly hoped not to be sepa- rated in the unknown land beyond. Hard by, a rock cliff towers far above both church-yard and chapel. Atop the cliff stands a lofty lookout, upheld by tall timbers painted red. I climb into this pilot's nest up a long red ladder. I loolc down upon the vast gray rock masses of the skargard strewn all around, and between them the blue reaches of the sea. It looked as if some volcanic eruption had flooded all the 'coast with molten lava in irregular billows, and, when this had cooled, the waters of the ocean had burst in and filled up all the hollows. Not all indeed, for now I see that the upper hollows of the larger isles are filled with little lakes and ponds of fresh water. In one of them, a row of cows is standing up to the knees in water, and beyond is a strip of green jjasture. Lake, meadow, and cows — such a contrast to the bleak gray rock that walls out the sea! And nothing but gray rock would the tourist behold, who sails by, comfort- ably seated on the deck of a steamer. When the northwest wind blows fresh is the time to sail far into the land on Gullmars Fjord. Then you can sail both up and down the fjord with a beam-wind. How the northwest wind comes puffing in squalls off these Swedish hills, exactly as it does in America, darkening the fjord here and there in moving patches, tossing the water into merry ripples, soon lashing it into foaming white-caps! LYSEKIL. 609 "Hvita gass" — "white geese" — the Swedes call these breaking billows. The gray arms of a windmill keep heaving into sight beyond the gray rock wall of the fjord, as we scud along in the early morning. The green patches of cultivation grow larger the farther we sail inland. Gardens and groves appear. Stone walls divide the land, for the patches be- tween the cliffs are getting large enough to divide, and now a meandering line of trees cuts a green field in two, and reveals where the brook curves to the sea. SMORKULLEN A scattered growth of pines sprinkles the rocky hill- sides, and the squalls blowing off the island Borno strike us hot and spicy with the fragrance of pine-groves. The wind lulls as we draw nearer under the lea of the island, and we set our flying-jib. Dorat bows in recognition and glides along with increased speed. From far down the bay we had seen the lofty ridge of SmorkuUen, like a giant stretched at length along the 39 & 610 SWEDEN AND THE SWEDES. ground to drink out of the waters of the fjord. There were his body and shoulders, the depression at the back of his neck, and his massive head at tlie water's edge. The pines on the round summit were his hair, and as we drew nearer, the whole front of the cliff, three hundred feet high, became a great stone face, every feature perfect, frowning over the waters of the fjord, a nortliern sphinx, or, better, a frost-giant turned to stone. We sailed in close under the silent majestic face, and hauling the jib to windward, hung beneath the cliff. There was a grand echo, despite the breeze. "It used to be a great place for gulls to breed," said the skipper; but none were here now. Only a few swallows skimmed about and a white fish leaped out of the fjord. We sail on along a line of precipitous cliffs, grander and loftier than the palisades of the Hudson River — stern gray rock, belted with wliite bands of quartz, beetling to the sea. There is a diagonal cleft in these palisades from top to bottom. This, Skipper Johansson points out to me as an ormstreck, or "serpent track," and gravely informs me that this is the trail made by an enormous snake as he slid down from the mountains to the fjord. There is no snake-story too large to be swallowed by the fishermen and peasants of the west coast of Sweden. They all have implicit faith in the sea-ser- pent. Many have seen him under most harrowing circum- stances. A fisherman living a little to the northward of Lysekil, told me he was once pursued by a sea-serpent, while rowing in his boat on a lake. He saved his life by pulling, with great speed, to a wooded island and hiding himself there; but the serpent swam three times around the island, snuffing for him, and the monster's head was higher than the tallest trees. Getting warmed up with his subject, he i)roceeded to warn me against "hoop-snakes." He had seen them repeatedly. This reptile takes his tail in his mouth and forms a hoop out of his slimy length; then he goes trundling himself about country, with little exertion, and at incredible speed. This tale was told me many years ago. I have since thought this simple Swedish fisherman & (611) 612 SWEDEN AND THE SWEDES. might have been a prophet and had a vision of the coming bicycle. Green fields sloping to the shore, a grove with a flag- staft", and a statelj^ Swedish mansion beyond open out at the head of the fjord. There are hay-cocks in the field, and as I land I hear a sharj^ clicking which recalls Amer- ica, and, looking up, see a mowing-machine cutting its broad swath through the grass. A large herd of black and white cattle stand in the pasture beyond, at the water's edge. Here is summer heat. How difl'erent from the windy cape of Lysekil eighteen miles down the fjord! Here I smell clover and buttercups, hear the song of birds and the droning of bees. Here, sheltered by cliffs on either hand and sloping to the sun and fjord, sits the fertile estate of Saltkallau — the salt sj)ring. 'Now its owner, Patron W. Oilman, a sturdy, red-bearded man, in young middle life, clad in a white linen suit, comes along the road. He is just returning from his daily bath in the fjord, and he insists on making me his guest and taking me home to dine with him. So we pass into the spacious hall, where I am presented to his good wife, and then Herr UUman shows me over a portion of his estate — a small portion only, for his entire farm is two thousand four hundred acres in extent. I was most interested in a new barn which the patron was erecting. It seemed to me to combine capacity and convenience in an extraordinary degree. It was a frame building, two hundred and twenty-four feet long by fifty- two feet wide. It was twenty feet stud along the sides, and the rafters M'ere placed at such a pitch that the ridge- pole was nearly forty feet from the floor. Now come the peculiarities in the construction of this barn. The cross- beams were not placed at the top of the studs at the lower edge of the roof, but half-way up the rafters toward the ridge-i^ole. This gave a much larger and loftier clear space in the building, and, to compensate for loss of strength, long strong ties were placed in position like inside but- tresses. The lower ends of these buttress-ties were inserted in LYSEKIL. 613 the studs five feet above the floor, and the upper ends sup- ported the rafters, half-way up, at the intersection of the beams. These buttress-ties were rendered firm by short cross-ties running from the plate, or top of studs, and mor- tised into the buttress-ties at right angles about midway their length. Along the center of the high cross-beams was laid a rail- road track, four feet gauge and two hundred and twenty- BARN AT SALTKALLAN ^CROSS-SECTION OF FRAME. 20 feet; to ridge-pole, nearly 40 feet; to lOOt 01 Length, 224 feet; breadth, 52 feet; stud buttress-tie, 5 feet; gauge of railroad in roof, 4 feet. four feet long, extending from one end of the barn to the other. On this railroad was a car. Chains let down from this car supported a hanging platform Just above the barn floor. A load of hay, when driven up to doors in end of barn, would be pitched upon this hanging platform. A man, stationed in the car aloft, would next, by means of a windlass, around which the supporting chains run, hoist the platform load of hay to any desired lieiglit, and then, 614 SWEDEN AND THE SWEDES. with cranks, like tliose on a liand-car, run the car with its dependent load along to the section Avliere the hay was to be dumped. All the beams were sawed in two in the middle, and a section about three feet wide taken out, so as to i^ermit the chains suioporting the platform to jsass freely the whole length of the barn, and the projecting ends of the beams were held wp by iron rods hanging down from trans- verse cross-ties above, as illustrated in the cut adjoining, which will give a clearer idea of the construction of this building than any description. This barn was to l^e used only as a warehouse for hay and grain. No cattle, horses, or sheep were to be kept in it. It seemed to me that the jDlan was novel and useful, and might well be adopted in the Northern United States and Canada, or any country where severe winters and snows compel the farmer to store his hay and cro]is nnder cover. "We took onr coffee after dinner in the garden front of the mansion. Here were gro^ving■ strawberries, raspberries, and blackberries. Here was also a thrifty orchard of apple, pear, and cherry trees, a kitchen-garden with vege- tables in profusion, a lawjr Avitli tennis-net set up, a grove of stately trees behind, and a flower-garden close below witli winding j^atlis, and statues peering out from among the shrubbery. And here, too, yon conld enjoy the fresh air of the fjord, warmed by blowing over wide fields, and filled with the scent of flowers and new-mown hay. It was pleas- ant to linger here, an American gnest in a Swedish home, and so the sun had swung ronnd to nearly six in the evening before I bade good-bye to Herr UUman, who accompanied me to the pier, and sailed away down the fjord. Two miles inland from Saltkallan lies the well-known village of Qvistrnm. On a subsequent excursion to Salt- kalian, I paid Qvistrum a visit. The road thither runs north up the valley of Qvistrum Eiver, which comes rippling toward you, soon to fall into GuUmars Fjord. The road is shaded with rows of stately trees, like an allee, and cliffs and wooded hills rise on either hand. I found it to be a pleasant promenade on a summer's (615) 616 SWEDEN AND THE SWEDES. day. At Qvistrum is a gastgifvaregard over two hundred years old. You may know it by the sign of a wliite horse in a green field swinging from a pole in front. In the vil- lage is held an inferior court for four "harads," or hun- dreds, and you will be sure of a good dinner at the inn, if court is in session. While my own dinner was being prepared, 1 visited the court-house, an old red wooden building. In the court- room, behind the judge's seat, was a large oil-painting of "Justice " in the traditional posture, blindfolded and hold- ing scales, and in the four corners of the painting the coats of arms of the four hundreds — Sotenas, Stangenas, Tunge, and Sorbygden — that met here in quest of that ' ' Justice ' ' wliich stood painted between their shields. Here I saw that the tavern-sign of the Avhite horse in a green held was the coat of arms of Tunge Harad. At Qvistrum the valley is narrow, tliere are high hills on either side, and the river makes a sharp bend, and here the Swedes, many times in days of old, have made a stand against the armies of Norwegians and Danes marching down from the north. The i)ass, however, never seems to have been defended with that persistency and success which one would expect from the natural strength of the position and the valor of the Swedish nation, except once, in 1675, when Ascheberg, with twenty-seven hundred Swedes, defended Qvistrum against six thousand of the enemy. 1 climbed a hill back of the inn to see the so-called "King Carl's Fort." On top of the crest Avas a green field of waving oats, with a few faint traces of earth-works on the edge of the x^lateau. It is a strong position, a headland thrust out into the valley, and commanding it above and below, and, though the fort was well-nigh obliterated, the pretty views up and down the wooded dale were enough to compensate one for his up-hill scramble. Soon after my excursion to Qvistrum, I was compelled to leave Lysekil, its pleasant guests and broad blue fjord; but my friends, whose good-nature knew no bounds, crowded the j)ier to bid me good-bye, and presented me LYSEKIL. 617 with bouquets enough to gratify "the belle of the ball." The band marched down to the pier and played "Till Osterland Vill Jag Fara" — "To Eastern Lands Will I Fare" — which Lieutenant Rosenblad told me was given as the best obtainable substitute for "Yankee Doodle." Everybody waves a handkerchief as the steamer sails away. The American hag is run up on the ' ' Restaurant des Bains," and the flag on the pretty villa I had occupied is dipped in salute, which is answered by the steamboat. Standing on the after-deck, I wave my recognitions for all this kindness, till my friends on the pier recede into a black mass, surmounted by a quivering constellation of white handkerchiefs, and then linally disappear behind a headland. The next year, 1887, I again crossed the Atlantic to spend the summer in Sweden, and soon after landing in Gothenburg, took a steamer for Lysekil. As we drew near, it was a pleasure to see again the bleak gray cliflis, the little white church, the village, and the tall chimnej' above the bathing-houses flaunting its long, black pennant of smoke. A flag was flying from the villa on the cliff, and Professor Curman Avas on the pier to welcome me and escort me to my former home, where everything was ready for my occupancy, and where I once again drank in the grand view over wide fjord and naked cliffs. Skipper Johansson's honest face broadened out into a huge open-sea smile as we sailed away once more in the good yacht Dor at. This year I had brought my flags with me, and to the skipper's great delight I hoisted the Ameri- can Yacht Club flag to the peak, and the pennant of the Portland Yacht Club to the topmast-head of the Borat. The yacht seemed proud of her new bunting, and sailed away faster than ever. Far into the fjords and wide among the isles she sailed with her strange foreign flags, and doubtless bore the "stars and stripes" to many a spot where it was never seen before. During the summer, we had many a brush with the other crack-sloops of Lysekil; but, close-hauled on the wind, the 618 SWEDEN" AND THE SWEDES. Dorat showed her heels To the entire fleet, and the Ameri- can flag sailed in first to the pier. About the middle of July, social life at Lysekil under- went a revolution. The old, simple, regular ways of sail- ing, promenading, and picnicking came to an end. A great suspense fills all the air. The King is coming. There are solemn meetings of the "Direction for profit and pleasure." Business-like gatherings of many committees. Everybody goes about with an air of importance, some of mystery. The lounging watering-place has suddenly taken on a busi- ness-like habit; has become brisk, alert, and wide-awake. And there is no interest in the soiree. The young girls who dance every dance, and are only sad when the last one ends, care nothing about dancing now. They don't care about taking a sail of a forenoon either; no, tliej^ prefer to stay at home, and all togetlier tie garlands in the "Society House." So the men all stay at home, too. Strange is it not ? And there are subscription-lists lying about — twelve crowns for gentlemen and six for ladies — for the grand ball and soujyer. Already, big burly sloops are sailing in and making fast to the quay, loaded down with young firs and spruces. These are being rapidly carried ashore and stuck up all around the landings, and roads, and paths, in honor of His Majesty the King. Truly the Swedes are a loyal people! Very early on the morning of July 20th, looking out from my villa on the cliff, I saw a Swedish w-ar-vessel anchored in the harbor close below; her black hull float- ing grimly on the sunlit waters, her masts and spars with their labyrinth of a thousand lines of tautly-drawn rigging towering above all the other craft in the baj", her booms swung out, and boats lying at them. It was the school-shijD Saga. She had sailed in during the night. Now a salute of four guns is fired from the bathing- establishment' s little battery on tox3 the cliff', and I see the long, low, lead-colored hull, with the square smoke-stacks of the great iron-clad Soea, pride of the Swedish navy, gliding into the harbor, slowly cutting the water with her LYSEKIL. Gli) outreacliing ram. A signal of four flags is flying from tlie head of her only mast. She slowly passes the bows of the old-fashioned school-ship, showing sharply the contrast between the steel ram of to-day and the lofty sparred man- of-war of but a few years ago. A second iron-clad appears around the bluff in the wake of the Soea, followed by a third, fourth, and fifth. Blenda, Rota, Disa, and SJcagul are their stalwart northern names; they are all rams, all painted lead-color. They are followed by four torpedo-boats, almost submerged, their tops just THE SWEDISH FLEET AT ANCHOR showing out of water, like lead-colored turtles' liacks, and their stubbed smoke-stacks raked sharply aft. Two of them are named Huf/in and Munin, after the two birds of All -Father Odin. Soon the chains begin to rattle out, and the fleet comes to anchor, ten vessels of war, all, save one, modern iron- clads, the largest Swedish fleet gathered together here since the days of Gustavus III. I could not help wondering if we in the United States, with our sixty millions of popula- tion and untold wealth, could muster so respectable a naval force. (At the date I am writing, 1890, we can, thank God.) 620 SWEDEN AND THE SWEDES. All day the preiiarations for the King' s rece]Dtion con- tinued. Tlie girls bound short sjiraj's of oak-leaves around a long rope, making a green boa about as large round as one of their slender waists, and this was hung up in fes- toons all around the bath-house. Hundreds of jDoles were set up in paii's along the roads, and from their tops waved small triangular flags of every hue and design. At the land- ing was erected a. triiimphal arch of green leaves. The great day, Thursday, July 21st, was as beautiful as the most patriotic Swede could wish. Clear sky, bright sun, and pleasant soft breezes from the sea. Lysekil had donned her choicest gala-day attire. Never had the little village with its cliffs and bathing-houses looked so fine. Flags of every nation and clime floated in the summer wind from villas and hill-tops and all along the roads. The "stars and stripes" streamed out in an honored piosition. Along the streets, the houses were decorated with green boughs and garlands. Wreaths of choice flowers were dis- played in profusion. The rocky bluffs overlooking the fjord were covered with black masses of people who had gathered from near and fai. The water was crowded with sail-boats cruising about. They were chiefly the boats of the coast-folk, who had come from north and south, fiom all among the islands and fjords. Most noticeable among them were the great bank-boats of some sixty tons burthen; pink-sterned, queer-rigged, with a boom thrust out of the stern, much as the bowsprit is thrust out of the prow. These Avere filled full with the hardy fishermen of the North Sea, their sturdy wives and children. And all this vast concourse of people, afloat and ashore, were filled with one earnest desire — to see their King. At two o' clock the King" s yacht, Drott, swings into the fjord around a headland from the south. Everybody knows the Droit, with her three smoke-stacks in line, and a mur- mur of satisfaction and pleasure runs along the cliffs and over the waters. Now there is bustle and activity on board the iron-clads, the rattle of drums, and sailors springing up the rigging. LYSEKIL. 621 Quickly the yards are manned, and a great shout goes up from all the fleet. ' ' Lef ve Konungen ! " ( " Live the King ! " ) " Hurrah ! Hurrah! Hurrah! Hurrah!" Not the short, abbreviated '"rah ! 'rah ! " of the English, but a long, swinging, surging, American-like " H-u-r-r-a-h ! " It echoes from ship to ship, from shore to shore, and blends with the roar of cannon, as from fleet and strand a royal salute thunders forth. At this moment, while the iron-clad fleet is enveloped with smoke, another flotilla of forty yachts puts out from THE "MOSQUITO FLEET.' the snore. They are the pleasure-boats of Lj'sekil, filled with ladies and gentlemen and accompanied by a band of music. First comes the Dorat, for the polite guests of Lysekil had unanimouslj^ made the American guest admiral of their little "mosquito fleet." In order that so many yachts might get under waj' in a reasonable space of time, and in their regular order, I had assigned to each one its number; and, running a cable 622 SWEDEN AND THE SWEDES. around the three little piers at the bathing-houses, I saw that all the yachts were moored to this cable in the order of their numbers, and in such a manner that, by slipping a rope, each j-acht could fill away instantly after the yacht she was to follow. So, at the signal, the little fieet gets under way with precision. At first, I sail the Dorat out toward the open Kattegat, until I see that the yachts have all started and have worked into line, and get the signal ' ' all right ' ' from Vice-Admiral Nathorst, who, in the yacht Elise, brings up the rear of the squadron. Then I describe a wide circle around the little lone rock "Graskar," jibing as I swing around, until the Dorat heads up the fjord with a beam- wind. The fieet follows around the circle. Then, with the yachts well in line and about four boat-lengths apart, I sail straight for the King's ship. It was a pretty sight, looking back from the deck of the Dorat on l\\e line of forty yachts; their white sails filled with a spanking breeze, and flags fluttering from mast and IDeak. On they came, in exact order, single file, bowling over the sparkling waters of the fjord. ' ' It was the most captivating sight of the day," said the Swedish newsjaapers, in describing the scene. All the yachts carried the flag of Sweden at the peak; but the thousands of spectators from cliffs and boats could see that from the topmast-head of the leading yacht floated the "stars and stripes," for I had taken the flag of my country as my admiral's flag, and Swedish courtesy and my national pride were alike gratified in seeing the starry banner lead the way. While the fleet were forming into line, the yacht Victoria, with the band on board, had sailed directly out to the Droit, and was now anchored off her port quarter. As we draw near, the band strikes up a royal march. I sail close under the stern of the Droit. Our Swedish flag at the peak is dij)ped to the water's edge, and, at my call, the loyal crew of Swedish men and maidens give four royal cheers for the King. The Droit returns the salute with her THE KING ON BOARD HIS YACHT. (633) 624 SWEDEN AND THE SWEDES. Hag, and His Majesty, leaning over the taffrail, extends botli liands, bows and smiles, and calls to me in the most friendly manner in English. The band continues playing, and on come the yachts swiftly and in good order, each saluting and cheering as their flag-shij) had done, and the Droit lowers her flag in response to each. When the last yacht was well past the Droit, at a signal from the Dorat the entire fleet tacked at the same moment and stood in line across the fjord, and, at another signal, stood home in column — Vice-Admiral JSTathorst now leading. That evening the King landed at the evergreen arch of honor, and was received in state by the authorities of Lysekil and the "Direction" of the summer guests. There were speeches and songs of welcome. Then a brilliant ball in the " Societets House" and a famous souper in the "Restaurant des Bains." Next day His Majesty reviewed the fleet and gave a reception on board his yacht. In the evening the King, with his suite, took a walk through Lysekil, going as far as the old town on the farther side of the peninsula. At the King's special request, I had the honor of accompanying him. Passing beneath the villa I occupied, and where the American flag was flying, the King- paused long enough to say, with a smile : " Hear thou, Thomas! I know this is where you live. You are bound to keep your flag flying wherever you go." The streets were lined with people, windows were full of faces, and the hill-tops above covered with the crowd. Every house was decorated with flags or festoons of green, which were occasionally interwoven with flowers. Poles lined the way, like long rows of sentinels, and from them flags were fluttering. An amazed and gratified murmur of a multitude of voices rose from all sides as the King passed, sometimes breaking out into a prolonged hurrah, and sometimes, at the call of some prominent citizen, formulating itself into the four royal cheers. And how the women looked at His Majesty ! As though they would swallow him with their eyes. As we entered y :v ..-.i-^M 40 (625) 626 ' SWEDEN AND THE SWEDES. the old town, there stood a strong, broad, yet sweet-faced, madonna. I shall never forget how her features flushed and glowed, how her nostrils dilated, eyes gleamed, and breast heaved, as from under the folds of the black kerchief tied about her head she gazed steadily and long iipon her King. I quietly said to His Majesty that if Sweden were a rejDublic, and he a candidate for the Presidency, I should predict his election by a unanimous vote. From the farther side of the old town, the King pointed out to me the thoroughfare among the islands where he lay at anchor with the combined Swedish and Norwegian fleet in May, 186i, ready for active service if, in case of a renewal of hostilities, the Austrian squadron should have made an aggressive movement against the Danish Islands. The day after, I left Lysekil and sailed for the south of Sweden to enjoy a Aveek's salmon-fishing with the Due de Chartres. The duke is a grandson of the French King, Louis Philippe, and is entitled to be held in honored remembrance by Americans, since he is one of the French princes who came to America early in our war, and who were gallant officers on the staff of General McClellan. I had the pleasure of being present at the taking of his first salmon. After the fishing was over, I visited the island watering- place, Marstrand. The Droit soon afterward came in from deep-sea fishing, and His Majesty invited me to dine with him on board . There were seven invited guests, two of them commo- dores in the Swedish navy, and we Avere taken to the yacht in the King's steam-launch. A marine band, stationed amid-ships, played lively airs. At seven o'clock the King, taking my left arm in his right, said, ' ' Permit me to escort you to the table," where he placed me in the post of honor on his right hand. There were twelve at table, and during the repast this polite monarch proposed, ' ' The health of the former American Minister at my court, now the admiral of a Swedish fleet." CHAPTER XLYIIT, A CB-UISE IN THE B H r S SKARGARD. HAD sailed far and wide in tlie Dorat, as far and wide as I could sail and get back the same day. It was glorious sallying fortli in the morning. There was something of adventure and hope and wonder about it. The youth of the day, and the new seas to be sailed over, brought back one' s own lost youth again. But the return, when the day was old, and by the same route, was always dull and commonplace. So I determined on a cruise for a week, and, hoisting the American flag on the yacht, sailed away from the bathing-houses and villas and pleasant company of Lysekil. Our cruise was to be around the two great islands of Bohuslan — Orust and Tjorn. We would thus ever have fresh scenes before us; and we were to touch both at Mar- strand and Uddevalla, which with Lysekil made the three angles of our route. The wind, however, was dead ahead for Marstrand, and it blew so heavily that, when we were half across Gullmars Fjord, we decided to run round the triangle backward, and, easing off sheets, bore away for the wdiite square patch on the gray cliff that marks the entrance to the narrow passage of Strommarne. And here in "The Streams" was "the stone pig," perched atop a bluff. The whole summit of the cliff, in fact, was the colossal image of a pig, lying down, to be sure, but back and head and pricked-up ears and snout all per- fect; yes, and his tail curled up behind him. No effort of the imagination to make him out, for a stone j)ig he is and nothing else, and that anybody can see at a glance; and more wonderful yet is the fact which old Anders Olsson rolls his quid of tobacco into a convenient position to (627) 628 8WEDEN AN^D THE SWEDES. explain, which is, that whenever they bake bread in the red farm-house under the hill, and the wind sets toward the bluff, the pig turns around as soon as he gets the bread- smell, so that his snout points squarely to the buildings; whereas you see his position now is quite the reverse. Thereupon the ancient pilot, who much resembled Abraham Lincoln, gave a broad, silent laugh, but whether at the pig or at me I could not tell. Now we see a scarecrow standing in the midst of a field of oats; a model scarecrow was he, respectably, even smartly, dressed, and under his hat he had an actual white face, with eyes, nose, and mouth painted thereon, while like a gay Lothario he waved a white kerchief from each out- stretched hand. Evidently it is an educated race of crows that need so elegant a scare. In sailing in a yacht you get acquainted with the country. So you do in walking, and in riding, driving, or skating. These all seem to be natural modes of progression. But when you come to ai^ply steam to boat or car there seems to be something uncanny about it, and you shoot through the country at such an unnatural speed that you have no time to form its acquaintance. Then there are the smoke and cinders and smells, and, if you travel bj^ rail, the ugly excavations and tunnels that shut out both light and landscape. Steam is all very well if your sole desire is to get from one place to another; but you must not expect to see much en route. I had sailed over most of our present route before in a steamer; but now, from the deck of the yacht, every view seemed new and fresh to me. We passed the white blotch of a feldspar mine on the cliff-side, which the skipper said was worked by a German; then, thrusting out our jib with the boat-hook, sailed swiftly before the wind over the white- caps of Koljo Fjord. Hogholmen rears its round mass of gray rock like a vast hay-cock from the field of water, and, leaving it and Hjelton — Isle of Heroes — to port, we sweep through the narrow pass between the latter and the great island Orust. A boat A CKITISE IN THE BOHUS SKAKGAHD. 629 drawn up under the trees on the grassy shore gives the impression of a lake. How much prettier are tideless seas. Always lull tide. AVoods and meadows always reaching down to the water's edge; no smelling flats nor slimy ledges. The Kattegat, like the Baltic, is a tideless sea, though why the great tides of the North Sea, which rise and fall twenty, and in some places thirty, feet on tlie Norwegian GRUNDSUND. and British coasts, do not make themselves felt in tlie open Kattegat seems a mystery. As we sail swiftly inland tlie rock hills begin to be wooded, and bristle, like unshaven faces, with a scattered, frowzy growth. Rounding Kalfon we steer due north, and now gently sloping flelds, long I'ed barns, and broad farms tell of the rich agricultui'al wealth of Orust. The south- west wind blows with unabated force, and the Dorat surges along with her rail at the water's edge, and a foaming breaker ever rolling over like a cascade at her bow. We are making eight knots, says Skipper Johansson, and Pilot Olsson sagely nods assent. Soon our course changes. We 630 SWEDEN AND THE SWEDES. dare not jibe, so, luffing up into the wind, we come aDout and fill away, steering west. Now Hafsten — Sea-stone — lifts its great, bare, gray shoulder out of the inland woods and breaks off a precipice to the bay. Sailing past the cliff we shoot out into the broad main Uddevalla Fjord, and scudding before the favoring gale pass lofty Bratton, and soon are safely moored in the long, canal-like harbor of Uddevalla. It was half -past two. We had sailed away from Lysekil at eleven. A glorious run. Uddevalla seemed little changed, though more than twenty years had passed since last I visited it. The hand- some church still sat embowered in the foliage of the vale, and the vast white clock-tower still stood apart, perched on top a convenient cliff across the street. I walked through tlie town to the new cemetery, and, passing beneath rows of horse-chestnut trees, soon stood at the grave of the poet von Braun. The monument is a rough slab of granite, resembling a rune-stone, and is per- haps fifteen feet high. An oval space has been smoothed on the stone, and within the oval is inscribed: WILH. VON BRAUN EODD 1813. DOD 1860. VANNER AF HANS SANGMO RESTE STENEN. "Friends of his muse raised the stone," is the transla- tion of the last two lines. Morning-glories were clambering over the monument, and in front of it were a bouquet of beautiful fresh flowers and a circle of forget-me-nots. Yon Braun was a rollicking, roystering fellow, a Swedish Byron. He died an untimely death, yet friends erected an impressive monument over his grave, and loving hands still decorate it with fresh flowers, though twenty-seven long years have flown. A pretty little town is Uddevalla, at the head of its long (631) 632 SWEDEN AND THE SWEDES. fjord, but city streets did not ijlease me after the outdoor life among the isles, so at four we got the Dorat under way and beat down the fjord to Gustafsberg. It was only the twenty-second of August, but the cozy watering-place was quite deserted. Hoav forlorn the little tables, chairs, and benches looked among the trees, with never a soul near them ! A fair-haired nuud is watching from the window, ready to run and serve you. But no one sits down. There is no income for the proprietor, and no drink-money for the little maid. Three boys catching crabs along the quay Avere the most active beings at Gus- tafsberg, and after watching them awhile there was nothing further to do but to go to bed. Next morning I was awakened by the music of a brass band. Going up the hill under the trees I found the musicians were young boys of the "Children's Home." A hundred and eleven years ago Anders Knape Hans- son, a retired ship-captain and merchant, founded this orx^han asylum with a gift of half a million crowns. Here are several large, comfortable wooden buildings on top the hill, shaded by lofty trees. A stout, pleasant-faced matron standing in a door-way told me that the institution was for orphan boys. They are received at nine or ten years of age and educated until sixteen or seventeen, or until they become "children of the Lord's Supper." Only thirty-six can be accommodated at one time, and this number is always full. The children must all be born in the province of Bohus and be of respectable parentage. Over the door where the matron stood there was written in letters of gold that "Anders Knape Hansson offered here in 1776 the fruits of his toil, that he might from orphan children of Bohuslan raise up good citizens for Fatherland." A bronze bust on a granite pedestal, standing on a grass- plot in front of the buildings and looking out over the fjord, represents Knape wearing a curled wig, and in a high old-fashioned neck-cloth. The face has large features, a prominent Roman nose, and a benign, almost saintly, A CRUISE IN" THE BOHUS SKARGARD. 6S3 expression. An inscription informs you that the bust was given by thankfnl foster-children at the centennial cele- bration of the asylum in 1876. Here is an eleemosynary institution, running in good order and to its fullest capacity, and doing just the work Its founder meant it should do, and this more than one hundred years after his death. And here also is a monu- ment raised to his honor after the lapse of a century. There is no misappropriation of funds, or warping or thwart- ing of a dead man's wishes here; but, instead, a conscien- tious carrying out of the intentions of the benevolent founder. Here were honesty, honor, and gratitude. It was something pleasant to reflect upon. We tacked away from Gustafsberg at a lazy hour in the morning, and when the lofty dome of Bratton was close before us, at a fortunate turn in the coast, eased off the mainsheet and sped away down the fjord, with a smoky west wind striking the yacht just aft of abeam. This upper fjord lies between Orust and the main. With the exception of Gotland and Oland, Orust is the largest island of Sweden. The banks of the fjord on either hand smile with fertility, cattle graze in the pastures, smooth fields, the cliffs between, slope to the shore, white villas peer out of the green groves on top the hills, and in front of every villa is the never-failing white flag-staff. An English cutter was getting under way as we sailed into Ljungskile, and the place itself was as deserted as Gustafsberg. So we stopped only for a bath and dinner, and sailed on down the long bay. The wind had now hauled dead ahead. The fjord grew narrow with bleak gray rock walls, and darkness was settling over sea and shore when we sailed into Stenungssund. We went ashore at Stenungson, whei'e I was courteously received by Mr. Sii^enius, the owner of the island, one of the merchant princes of Gothenburg, and a friend from the old days when I was consul at that port There was never a breath of wind till noon the next day. Then a faint southwest breeze strikes in, and we tack out f • (034) A CKUISK IN THE BOHUS SKAKGAi;i». 6o5 of the narrow and shoal sonnd. My host salutes with the Swedish flag from the cliff, and we dip our American ensign in response. The fjord Avidens. We have sailed past Orust, and now the island of Tjorn forms the eastern wall of the broadening fjord. Bratto is a common name for islands on this coast, as is Hog Island or Ram Island along the coast of Maine. Bratt is the coast-folks' pronunciation of brant, meaning steep, and steep islands abound in this skiirgard. We have passed four Bratto already on this cruise. Bla- kullen, the highest mountain on the fjord, is situated on a Bratto. The islands are naked and bare, as well as steep; little more than bleak, cold, gray rocks. Yet the people will tell you that these isles were once covered with beautiful groves, like the Stockholm skargard; but the Danes, some three hundred years ago, burnt off all the wood out of spite, and soon after the soil dried up and was blown awaj-. And so we slowlj^ creep along, tacking fi'om one side of the vast fjord to the other, against the lazj^ southwest wind. And always far down the fjord, dead to windward, rising in the midst of the glittering sun-ripple, is the stern lofty castle of Marstrand — our destination; but it was sundown before we reached it. We found this first of Swedish watering-places was still full of bathers and gaiety. Patrons of the smaller resorts draw together at Marstrand, for the last two weeks of the season, and the late summer here is frequently the pleasantest part of the year. It was calm with a glassy sea, all the next morning; but, a little before noon, a southwest air blurred the mirror of waters in patches, so we swung out from the quay of Mar- strand and glided slowly away over the sleepy sea, every stitch of canvas set, and flags drooping limp from topmast and peak. Soon we can see far up the deep Udde-^alla Fjord. Steep Hittan, with its pilot-station, and Elgon, opposite, stand like half-closed jaws at the narrow entrance. Away to the right, Blakulleu rises toward the sky, a rounded blue mass, and dominates the landscape. We drift by Holmen Gia — Island Giay — with its twin 636 SWEDEN AND THE SAVEDES. houses, white and red, the size of sentry-boxes, the white one a light house, the red a dej)ot for supplies; pass the fishing-village of Kladesholmen, with its red and white houses thickly sprinkled over the gray rocks, and then, emerging from a little gap between the cliffs, see, far away over the sea, a white steeple rising above a black roof. That is the church on Karingo, says the skipper. To Karingo are we bound. It lies the farthest out to sea of any inhab- ited island on this coast. The King was enthusiastic in KLADESHOLMEN. praise of its hardy virtuous people and the good fishing he enjoyed there, and strongly advised me not to leave Sweden without paying the island a visit. So I sail for this far isle of the sea "by the King's command," and hope there may be wind enough yet left in this lazy day to waft us there. It was past three o'clock when we stole into Mollosund. Here are thousands of ling, split and hung on rails to dry. The fishermen must have had a great catch. The long lines of split fish fringe the rock hills above the red houses, line ^'•i!'llT^ry'!^:'iWK.m^ m-^V^ JfW^ ^ ' ! WMfl»^. ' t '^}i.if! ' vi^m!^w-^ws ? m^T^ s ^^i ^^ FISHER-FOLK AT GRUNDSUND. 638 SWEDEN AND THE SWEDES. all the wharves, and cover the shores of the opposite side of the sound. "Here and at Smogen everybody is well off/' says Skipper Julius. "Here the folks are both rich and able. Here they have streets just like those in the old town of Lysekil." We see a large bank-boat of some lifty tons Just about sailing on a fishing-cruise to the Xorth Sea. There are many women on board, as well as men. All are moving about the decks. There is much bustle and activity, but why are the women here \ Have tliey come on board to drink a parting glass, and have a jollification with the men before they sail % Not a bit of it, says Skipj)er Julius. They have come to stow away the ale they themselves have brewed, and to help put everj^thing in order. Heli)-meets in truth are these fishers' wives of the Swedish coast. "They don't drink sx)irits, neither here nor in Smogen," the skipper goes on to explain, "but ale will they have, and it shall be strong ale, and while they are off on a trip, the wife of one of the comjjany brews all the ale for the next trip, and then the wife of another for the trip after, and so on till all the wives of the six or eight in the com- pany have brewed. Certainly there are twelve to fourteen men on board, but only some six or eight are in the com- l^any of owners; the rest sail on shares." We glide past the little settlement of Kaningsholm. Skipper Julius points to a house on the rock. "Here lived Olsson and wife. He is the first that came forward with cod-salting here in this tract, and they grew so fat that they iised to be called the boar and sow. And they were bottom I'ich, and had no children, but they used to take home to themselves poor little girls and bring them up. And all those girls got married off so well ! One of them married an Osterberg, and he is bottom rich, too, and he does not sail anjr more." We now pass a man and woman in a small sail-boat loaded down witli packages and furniture, and Skipper Julius, who has got into a talking mood, tells me that it is A ORUISK IN THE BOllUS SKAKGARD. 689 the keeper of the light-house at Island's Head, with his wife, and that they have been spending two weeks at Mar- strand. "He has it good, he has. Two thousand crowns a year, and a fine house, and wood, and light. And who takes his place while he is away % Nobody; for it is summer, and the nights are light, and they burn no fire in the light-houses. But, Hallo « Yes, that is an outer light. That burns all the year round, but not the lights on the inside routes." A large house looms up on Karingo. "School-house," answers the skipper. It looks oddly on this isle of the vikings. The peak of a white sail appears over the dark rock. ' ' That' s a Lysekil boat, for sure, " ' says the skipper, and in a moment both he and Pilot Olsson pronounce it the Bele. And the Bele it was that now slid out into open water with my friend. Doctor Billqvist, and family on board. And we have time for a chat and to salute each other with our fiags before we drift apart among the skerries. As the sun gets low, the breeze fails us utterly. Johans- son and Oisson get out the sweeps and pull the yacht ahead over the crimson sunset sea. Slowly we draw near Karingo. The flat rock island bristles with the roofs and chimneys of houses packed closely together. Above them rise a wind- mill, the church-steeple, and the school-house. These three stand apart by themselves to the west. Looking south, we can still discern the castle of Marstrand, rising faint and white above the glassy sea, like a distant sail upon the horizon. Here on this remote isle was a comfortable inn — a broad, low, red house on the slant rock — and, while supper was being prepared I strolled out over the undulating stone surface among the labyrinth of red fisher-cottages. I soon came to a large white house of two stories, with one end rounded like the stern of a modern ship, and with lulasters on either side the front door. A garden lay before it. Going in at the gate, I was confronted by a man standing in the center of a flower-jolat, right hand thrust in his vest, 640 SWEDEN AND THE SWEDES. ana face and eyes uplifted to the heavens. But it was not the priest in prayer, only the tigure-head of a ship. " An English lord," explains the pastor himself, who now comes out of the parsonage, "and the ship to which it belonged was wrecked here many years ago." Pastor Simson is a large, stout man of some sixty years, with the kindly face and benign expression that stamps him the true father of his little flock. Despite his three- score years, he moves about as briskly as a lad, showing me around the place and good-naturedly answering my many questions. ^^ "I have lived on this little rock over thirty years, he says, "and every morsel of soil has been brought here. Willows are the only trees that will live at first; but, when once they are grown, fruit-trees can be raised under their lea." The good man pointed out a little depression in his gar- den, fringed with willows, and with little benches placed around inside. That was such a pleasant spot ! When the wind was east, they could sit out here, and when it was west, they sat on the veranda of the house. So they had always a beautiful lea. A blonde house-maid now brought him a massive key, and the parson led me across the way and unlocked the heavy wooden doors of the church. It was a little building, painted white within and gilded here and there. The pul- pit was at the side, as is usual in Swedish churches, and above it a large canopy, which doubtless served as a sound- ing-board, stretched out toward the pews. In the choir was a high white altar, on which stood six large candles. A tall, old-fashioned clock, eight feet high, painted white and gilt, ticked loudly close behind the altar. Over the church entrance was a gallery and an organ. "Yes," said Parson Simson, as he carefully locked the church doors, "it is a glad and pleasant church, and very easy to preach and mass in." Then he escorted me to the old parsonage. This was low and dark, and he became sad and could not live in it, so he built the new, bright house. A CRUISE IN THE BOHUS SKAKGAKD. 641 But this garden was older, and here were thriving cherry, pear, and apple trees in full fruit. The pastor showed me the garden with evident pride, and insisted that I should pluck a luscious red-cheeked apple to take awaj^ with me as a "minne," and a proof that fruit could be raised on the outermost and bleakest of the Swedish isles. And now, in an open shed, I saw hanging rows of enor- mous fish. The priest smiled. "This is an odd parish," he explained, ' ' and here the priest is supported entirely by voluntary contributions. It is an ancient custom that each fisherman should give to the priest the two largest ling and the two largest cod he catches during the year. But that does not come to much. Oh, yes; they are hand- some fish, that is true, and much sought after from Gothen- burg and from all the country round about — three-crown fish are they." We walked on to the shed. The fish were neatly split and stretched out with si^lints. They were longer than a man is tall. Some of them hanging down seven feet or more. "They are never salted," answers their contented owner; " not a grain of salt may come upon them. If there does, they are not fit for lut-fisk for Yule. They are only dried. I take the fish fresh, and my men sjjlit and dry them for me. Besides the fish, I receive other small con- tributions — a crown and a half from each member of my parish and other little gifts. There are, perhaps, one hun- dred fishermen on the island, and the total population numbers five hundred and eight. It does not increase. Only about holds its own, for the sea 'harvests' so many. Yes, a few move in; but I have no joy of them. They bring in their vices with them, and my own little flock here I have brought them all up in the way they should go, and I like not that others should come in and lead them astray." So the good man chatted pleasantly to me of himself and his people, as he piloted me back to the gastgifvare- gard in the red of evening. And it was difficult to believe that mild-mannered pastor and people were direct descend- ants of the fierce vikings that sailed forth from these 41 642 SWEDEN AND THE SWEDES. same bleak rocks to world-wide conquests; or that scarce three hundred years have elapsed since, from the churches along this rugged coast, arose the fervent praj'er : "God bless the strand with wrecks. ' ' How the peaceful teachings of Christ have softened men and manners, and quenched the wild Berserker rage! The inn was kept by a widow. The sea had "har- vested ' ' her husband long Her two grown-up RETURN FROM THE NORTH SEA FISHERIES, daughters and a handsome youth, her sou, helped her in her work. The son was the only able-bodied young man I saw on the isle. The rest were all at sea. The daughters were intelligent girls, both of them "school-marms," and both of them engaged to young- fellows off fishing. " Six bank-boats sail from this island," they said. " They are gone a month on a trip. There are thirteen men to a boat — nine are owners and receive a share each of the fish, the foui- others have half a share apiece. There are thirteen shares in all, and the remaining two go to the boat which must furnish all the gear. Then A CKmsE IN THK BOHUS ^KAKGARD. 643 tliey take a boy along with them now and again, so as to make a fisherman ont of him, and they let him keep what- ever he can catch. Brother, here, went his hrst voyage when nine years old." The girls liked the island well enongh. True it was rather quiet when the men were off; but the air and water were so good that perhaps some day Karingo might become a great fashionable watering-place like Marstrand, and no doubt it was superior to Marstrand in every respect. That is, in all except the name, Kiiringu — Old Woman's Island — that was ugly enongh. Now how slight a change it would be to call it Kiirlekso — Isle of Love^then people would thi'ong here from everywhere. Bnt the mother thought that Kiiringu was all well enough as it was. It was an old name and an liont)rable one, and did not the island feed eight cows, to be sure '. Next morning we pulled out to sea in a small island row- boat, while Maseskiir's light still burned in the west, and the east was growing goklen with the early dawn. We passed the pilot-hoiise and the lofty lookout that stood like a skeleton against tlie sky, and were out on the open Kattegat before the red summer sttn arose. A veteran islander was with us. Surely he knew best where the tishing-grounds were, for had he not pointed them out for the King '. Our ancient lisherman's name was Carl Andersson Knopp. His Christian name was Carl. This was given him at baptism. The rest of the name came of itself, for he was the son of Anders, who lived on the estate called Knopp, so that nothing else than Carl Anders Son Knopp could his name be. Thus many Swedish names are built up. Indeed many of our own English and American names AVere originally formed in like manner. We had a long row against a powerful current to the fishing-grounds. Nine boats were already moored there. Hour after hour we lay at anchor, our heavily-weighted fishing-lines streaming far astern in the strong cnrrent that ran by us like a mill-race. We were fishing for kummel — whatever that hsli nuiy 644 SWEDEN AND THE SWEDES be. I do not know what it is like, for not a boat got a bite.* The sun was hot, sea like oil, and not a breath of air. We were eight miles off Karingo. Once, two eider-drakes flew by. A little black diver stemmed the current close alongside, constantly diving, reappearing, and poking his head under water in feeding. I hear the snort of porpoises, and look- ing U13 see them roll over — black, unctuous water-wheels. A sea-gull is reflected perfectly in the water as he slowly wings his way along. Skipper Johansson is soaking his lunch — two pieces of salt mackerel — in the water over the side, and Carl, the son of Anders, lies snoring in the bottom of the boat forward. This can not by any possibility be called sport, so we weigh anchor, drift northward three miles, and try for dog-fish. One boat was fishing here. In it were a sick old man in a fur cap and a bare-headed little boy. The boy sung as he fished, and far over the silent summer sea we could hear his fresh, chirpy, child's voice. One could indeed thank God for this fresh voice and the fresh soul that sung in it, but not for dog-fish, though the old man said he had caught one early in the morning. Carl from Kno^^p now said it was too late in the year for this lishing, and one could not expect such sport as His Majesty had a fortnight ago. Besides it was not a royal hook I was offering the fish. So we got under way again, rowed back inside Maseskar, and contented oirrselves with humbly fishing for torn cod and ' ' pigg ' ' haddock. Of these little fellows, we caught as many as we liked. Now we had struck our proper level. I was astonished to find so strong a current I'unning along this tideless Swedish coast. The islanders tell me it is constant, running all the year round, though many causes affect its speed. This salt stream was pouring along to-day at a rate of at least two knots an hour. It runs north along the Swedish coast to Norway, west along the * Subsequent investigation lias taken away all romance and mystery from the kumniel. It is sinipl}- the hake, a fish also common all along the coast of New England. A CKUISE IN THE BOHUS SKARGAKD. 645 Norwegian coast, and, circling round, pours back again to the eastward along the sandy shores of Jutland. This is its usual course, and a glance at the map will show that the stream thus forms a Skagerak whirlpool. It does not strike the Swedish coast until north of Marstrand, and generally does not extend out to sea but a few miles beyond the outer isles. It is a littoral current. Next morning I called on Lieutenant Westberg. He is the officer of customs at Kiiringu, and the governmental head of the island. The Swedish flag was flying in front of his comfortable home, and I was hospitably received by the lieutenant and his good wife. He gave me ample informa- tion in regard to the part Sweden takes in the fisheries of the North Sea. There are some one hundred Swedish craft employed in fishing on the North Sea banks. These are all owned in the province of Bohus, and within the compara- tively small stretch of coast between Marstrand and Tangen. They are called bank-boats, and the largest are between fifty and sixty tons burthen. They all have a spar running out horizontally beyond the stern, on which a small sail is set while fishing, to keep the boat's head to the wind, and all have the lofty, towering, broad prow, that thej^ may easily ride the dangerous billows on the shoal banks. Some boats carry a crew of thirteen, nine owners and four half-share men, as the good people at the inn had told me; but the larger portion of the craft carry but twelve men, ten owners and two half-share hands, in which case only one share goes to the vessel. Each boat cai'ries a line of one hundred hooks for the priest, and another of one hundred hooks for the poor — at least the Karingo boats do — and priest and poor receive all the fish caught on these lines. The six bank-boats of Karingo are among the largest in the Swedish fishing-fleet, being about sixty tons each. They make four trips a year, and are now (August 27th) expected back from the last trip. They begin in April. The craft sail first to Haugesund in Norway. There the fishermen buy more salt, take in water, and write home, WAITING (From a Painting by Aug, Hagborg ) (646) A CKUISE IN THE BUHU.S SKAKtiAKD. 647 and should a stoiiu rage they lie in the harbor till it is over. They then sail out to sea, fishing on the banks sometimes four hundred miles or more off the Norwegian coast. In three weeks the boats will till up. The tirst lish caught are heavily salted, soon they are only slack-salted, and the last caught are brought home fresh. Generally the craft sail home in three or four days. They retit in three t>r four more, and inimediatelj' put to sea again. In winter the hardy lishermen sail in smaller boats, but only to the coast of Jutland; or they tish from still smaller row-boats off the Bohus islands. The lish are counted in vala, that is in tens. This is the old linger-reckoning, and is probably older than counting by the dozen. The tishermen also say a half -vala, that is five, or the fingers on one hand. This word vala is not given in the lexicons, and is doubtless a local Avord among the fisher-folk of the west coast. The big fish that are given the parson are known and praised far and wide as "prest langor" — "priest ling." They always command the highest price. There are now eighty men from this one little island afloat on the North Sea. One meets here only old men and boys — and the women who pray and wait. At ten o'clock we bade adieu to this outer isle and its honest, earnest, simple folk. The southwest wind blew strong once more, and the Dorat bowled merrily along. Soon Karingo disappeared from view. We sailed again among well-known isles. At noon we saw once more the stone pig that turns when he smells bread, and soon after laid alongside the pier at Lysekil— and our week's cruise was ended. CHAPTER XLIX. THE PKOYIXCE OF B0HU8 AND SOME OF ITS PREHISTORIC MONUMENTS. ^HE province of Bolius extends along the west coast of Sweden from the Norwegian frontier at Fredriks- hald, where brave Charles XII. was shot in 1718, ^^ down to the Gota River, where lies the great and thriving commercial city of Gothenbnrg. The province thas embraces the entire Swedish coast which fronts the Skagerak, that open-sea highway lying between Norway and Denmark, through which Swedish ships mast sail to reach the North Sea, the Atlantic Ocean, and the great world beyond. No other province of Sweden lies so near all countries on the North Sea and the Atlantic, and from no other can maritime expeditions to the west be so conveniently fitted oat. The coast of Bohus is strewn thro ugho at its entire length with tens of thousandsof rocky islands— the skiirgard — and indented with numerous fjords. The water is deep close in to the shore, and good harbors are everywhere among the isles and along the bays. As one would naturally expect from the i^osition and nature of the province, it was a favorite abode of the sea- kings of the Northland during the Viking Age; yes, and for ages previous, although the earlier expeditions were not so widely extended or well known as those whicli made the Viking Age famous. The wild, bleak coast of Bolius is celebrated in Northern song and saga. No other province of Sweden so abounds in romantic tales of the past, and in no other are to be found so many interesting mementos and monuments of former ages. (649) 650 SWEDEN AND THE SWEDES. But this province has not always belonged to Sweden. Indeed, in comparison with its entire history, it has been a part of Sweden but for a very short period. From time immemorial, Bohus was a part, and a vei'y important part, of Noiway, and, with trifling intermissions, it continued to follow the fortunes of that country down to the peace of Roskilde, in 1658. Throughout the earlier historic ages, Denmark was tlie first power of Scandinavia, and at times the Danisli sover- eigns ruled over all the Northland. The dominating power of Denmark culminated in the first years of the fifteenth century, under Margaret, the "Semiramis of the North,' Queen of a united Denmark, Sweden, and Norway. This Danish domination was broken when Gustavus Vasa, rousing the peasants of Dalecarlia, drove the Danish King, Christian, the tyrant, from the Swedish throne, in 1521, and it was completely and finality annihilated when the allied powers and Bernadotte's strong Avill and i3ro\\'ess wrested Norway from Denmark and united her with Sweden, in 1814. Yet for more than a hundred j^ears aftei' Gustavus Vasa had given Sweden a Swedish king, in his own person, Den- mark continued to rule over the fairest and richest provinces of the Sweden of to-day. Throughout the glorious I'eign of Gustavus Adolphus^ even when, as leader of the Protestant world, he was achieving victories over the German Empire — Denmark, either directly or through Norway, which was but a Danish province, owned the entire southern and western provinces of Sweden, all save one naiTow strip of land at the mouth of the Gota River. This little strip, but a few miles in width, was the only window possessed by the Swedish King, through which he could look out upon the western world, and many and bloody were the battles Sweden must fight to maintain possession of tliis narrow outlet to the ocean. In 1655, King Carl X., nephew of Gustavus Adolphus, crossing the Baltic, invaded Poland, took "Warsaw, and TIIK Plld'S'INMJK OF Bonus. mi ravaged the countr}' round about. The war continued; and Denmark, taking advantage of this opportunity wlien Carl had Poland on his Lands, declared war against Sweden in 1667. But Carl, instead of continuing the war in Poland, marched across the wide expanse of Europe from Poland to Denmark. He overran and subdued Holstein, Slesvig, and Jutland, as Torstensson had done before him. And he did more than this. The following winter was one of unusual severity. The Great and Little Belts were frozen over. On the 30th of January, 1658. Carl, with admir- able courage and great discretion, marches his army — cavalry, infant- rj', and artillery — out upon the ice. He crosses the Little Belt to the island Fyen Here a Danish force of five thousand is routed and captured. Pass- ing over Fyen, the King, on February 6th, marches on at the head of his cavalry out upon the ice of the Great Belt. Three days later, artillery and infantry ^arl x follow under Wi'angel. Taking advantage of the interven- ing islands, crossing from one to the other on the bridges Providence had built between them, the Swedish army con- tinues its perilous journey and arrives, on February 12th, upon the main island of Sj^elland, the heart and center of the Danish kingdom. Carl had accomplished the impossi- ble. His is the only army that, throughout all the ages, ever crossed the Danish Belts on the ice. The Swedish force numbered but twelve thousand men, but ir contained tJie best soldiers in Europe. Denmark now lay at the mercy of 652 SWEDEN AND THE SWEDES. the Swedish King. She Avas forced to grant whatever terras the conqueror demanded. On February 26, 1658, a treaty of peace was signed at the old cathedral city of Roskilde, only twenty miles from Copenhagen. "I would I could neither read nor write!" exclaimed one of the Danish plenipotentiaries, as he inscribed his signature. By this treaty, Denmark ceded to Sweden, besides other territory, the Danish provinces of Blekinge, Skane, and _ Halland, and the jSTorwegian - Dan- ish province of Bohus. So Boh us became a part of Sweden. These four ced- ed provinces com- prise the entire south and south- west coast of Swe- den as shown on the map of to-day, save only the strip already mention- ed, at the mouth of the Gota River. Sweden now, at last, won her natural boundaries on the Scandinavian Peninsula. She had the Gulf of Bothnia and the Baltic on the east and south, the Kattegat and Skagerak on the southwest, and the great mountain ridge running for nearly a thousand miles to the northward, dividing her from Norway. By a bold dash over the ice, Carl X. seciired territory of more importance to Sweden than was gained by Gustavus Adolphus and Oxenstjerna in the Thirty Years' War, and all these four provinces remain an integral part of the kingdom to this day. MEDAL COMMEMORATING CARL X.' OVER THE BELTS. THE PROVINCE OF BOHUS. 653 Sweden lias ever since been the tirst power in Scandi- navia. Botli in territorj^ and population, she is larger than Denmark and Norway put together. Since 1814, the crown of Norway has been united to that of Sweden, and should there ever be a united Scandi- navia, it would seem that Sweden must be at the head of the union. But you can see that tlie prov- inces conquered by Carl X. still retain many of their peculiar characteristics. A Stockholmer will instantly distinguish a man from Skane, or Ha Hand, or Bo- hus, from his dialect. The people of Skane and Southern Halland still love to drop over to Copenhagen to do their shopping and go to the Tivoli, and the wits of Stockholm have an especial fondness for cracking jokes at the expense 654 SAVEDEN AND THE SWEDES. of the good people of Skane, as if it Avere a country ajiart — albeit it is the richest province in King Oscar's dominions. We all know of the Viking Age — the most glorious epoch of the Northland — and of the viking expeditions — how these sea-kings ravaged and conquered all along the coasts and rivers of Europe, and discovered and settled Iceland, Greenland, and America, how they raised rude monu- LANDING OF THE NORTHMEN AT ICELAND. ( From a Painting by O. Wergeland.) mental stones to their dead, and to commemorate their exploits, on which stones they frequently carved inscrip- tions in Runic letters that are easily read by the savants of to-day. The world knows all this by heart. This far-famed Viking Age commenced in the eighth century and lasted to about the middle of the eleventh, or to the time of the permanent establishment of Christianity in the Scandinavian Peninsula. The teachings of Christ accomplished more than the armies of Christendom. Those teachings softened and tamed the vikiug heart. The jirovince of Bohus is rich in memorials of the vikings; but it also possesses inscriptions and monuments of an age so I'emote that, in comparison, the Viking Age, THE PKOVINCE OF BOHUS. 655 with its runes and sagas, seems modern and of to-day. In no part of Sweden will yon tind so many relics of its ven- erable past as here. In several places in this province, there are found carv- ings on the rocks that must have been cut some two thousand years before the Viking Epoch. They are older than the use of tools of iron. They are earlier than the use of runes or any attempt at an alphabet in the North. These jiictures are called ' 'hallristningar' ' — ' 'rock -carvings. ' ' They CROMLECH AT HAGA, ON THE ISLAND OF ORUST. are groups of figures cut on extensive tablets of rock— chiefly figures of men, beasts, boats, vehicles, weapons, and tools. There are also scattered along the coast great piles of stones heaped up on lofty cliffs overlooking the sea. These cairns are piled up over the tombs of old Northern kings or chieftains, and they belong to the same age as the rock pictures — the age of bronze. You will also find in Bohns several great sepulchral chambers. The walls are built of flat stones set up on edge and roofed over with one or more larger flat stones. These tombs are of still greater antiquity. They were built in the primeval Stone Age, before the use of bronze or any metal was known. 656 SWEDEN AND THE SWEDES. The tombs of the Stone Age ai'e divided into three cUisses, according to their form and the period in which tliey were built. The oldest are the " stendosar" — "dolmens or crom- lechs;" next come the " ganggrif ter " — " i^assage-graves;" and last the " ' hallkistor " — " stone cists. ' ' One of the most symmetrical of the weird old dolmens is here represented. It stands on top of a barrow at Haga, on the island of Orust, in this province. Man has existed for a very long time on the Scandi- navian Peninsula. Relics of human handiwork have been discovered which seem to show that man lived in Sweden many thousand years before the Christian era. How many, who can tell ? My friend, Prof. Victor Rydberg, has recently given out a most interesting and learned work, in which he brings strong and convincing data and reasons to j)rove that the cradle of the Aryan race was not among the highlands of Asia, but in Southern Sweden, Denmark, and Northern Germany, which lie about the Baltic Sea, as the Roman Empire lay around the Mediterranean, and that the com- paratively small Asiatic fraction of the Aryan race emigrated in successive steps from Northern Germany or Scandinavia to where it is now found. It is also now believed that the hallristningar, the cairns, the sei^ulchral chambers, and nearly all the jorehis- toric remains of Sweden are not the work of some weak tribe of aborigines that disappeared and vanished before a stronger invading race, but that they were made by true Scandinavians, the direct ancestors of the Swedes of to-day. Of course, in this Ultima Tlnde, the Stone Age came down much nearer to our own time than in earlier civilized lands. Bronze began to be used in Sweden about fifteen hundred years befoi'e Christ. Prior to this date, the use of metals was unknown in the Northland, and implements and weapons were chiefly of stone, wood, bone, or horn. These are found in profusion throughout the western and southern portions of Sweden, and a most interesting collection of THE PKOVINCE OF BOHUS. 657 tlieni is exhibited in the basement of the National Museum at Stockholm. The tools of that age were chiefly axes, chisels, gouges, saws, knives, and scrapers — the latter being used in scraping the skins of animals. These were all made of flint, if it could be obtained; if not, of other stones. The Scandinavians of the Stone Age had arrow-heads, spear-heads, and daggers of flint or other stone, and flsh-hooks and harpoons of bone. These old people cooked their food, and used pots and pans made of clay. They had domestic animals; among others, man's earliest and best friend — the dog. They paddled about in dug-out logs, lived chiefly by hunting and fishing, and had a very enjoj^able time of it, being, in all likelihood, never troubled with dyspepsia or nervovis prostration. The Swedes undoubtedly learned the use of bronze from neighboring nations to the south. This bronze was com- posed of nine parts copper and one part tin, and weapons and tools were fashioned from it by melting and casting in molds. The Scandinavians succeeded in making very sharp swords of bronze, and in giving their bronze tools a hardness and keenness of edge which it has been asserted could not be attained to-day. In fact, it has been assumed that this ancient working of bronze was one of the lost arts. I, however, have been assured by Dr. Hans Hilde- brand, the Royal Antiquary of Sweden, that if you melt together copper and tin in the proportion of nine to one, make a cast of this, and then throw this cast, when at a glowing heat, into water, you can to-day get a piece of bronze as hard, and capable of taking on an edge as sharp, as any bronze sword of antiquity. The only secret pos- sessed by the ancients, which is now a secret no longer, was throwing the glowing bronze into water. This gave hard- ness and temper. Iron began to be used in the Northland some five hun- dred years before the Christian era. The one thousand years from the advent of bronze to that of iron is known as the Bronze Age. During this period, the old Swedes made considerable advance from the age of stone. They acquired 42 658 SWEDEN AND THE SWEDES. a very fair knowledge of agriculture. They plowed their fields and, Avitli bronze sickles, reaped their harvests. They rode on horseback. Not only this, they were able to drive horses in wagons with wheels. They ground their seed by hand, i^lacing the grain in a hollowed rock and crushing it with a round stone. They used cloth coarsely woven from wool, as well as skins, for clothing. They certainly pos- sessed sheep, cattle, and swine, in addition to horses, and they wore ornaments both of gold and bronze — that is, some of their capitalists did — and they had ships of goodly size, but without sails. It is to this age — the age of bronze — that the rock- inscriptions called " hallristningar " and the stone cairns belong, and these remains of a remote past in the North- land are most numerous and best seen in the province of Bohus. Midway the coast of this province lies the Cxullmars Fjord, running far into the land, and nearly cutting the province in two. In its immediate vicinity are grouped some of the most interesting antiquities in the province, or, indeed, in all Sweden. One pleasant July morning, in 1887, I drove out of Lysekil with Professor Curman to see with my own eyes some of these ancient remains. Our sturdy little Swedish ponies drew us along at a good trot, over a hill-range, whence the road pitched down into the fertile Lyse valley. Here were level green helds from cliff to cliff, and the whole valley, which is half a mile wide by several long, was, undoubtedly, in some former age, the bottom of a fjord, which the slowly-rising land gradually left dry. Much of the cultivated land in Sweden was once sea-bottom. Some ten miles from Lysekil we crossed the vale and ascended the cliff- wall on the farther side, by a winding- road. Here we left the main highway and drove over a rough by-road to the cottage of an old boatswain of the Swedish navy. Leaving our carriage, we struck out on foot over the fields, with the boatswain's little boy as guide. We soon saw the object of our quest rising like a __^^1F^ ft^^^ijr 660 SWEDEX AND THE SWEDEb. great stone altar above the windy moor, and sharply out- lined against the sky. It was the tomb of some old patri- arch of the Stone Age. The sepnlchral chamber is formed by six great slabs of stone, standing on end, inclosing an irregular oblong space and roofed over by a larger slab, which, projecting beyond the stones that form the walls, gives the whole structure the appearance of an altar. All the stones were dark-red granite. There was an entrance between two of the upright slabs. Inside I found the tomb to be ten and one-half feet long, measuring at right angles with the entrance, and seven feet wide from the entrance to the slab oi^i^osite. It was four and one-fourth feet high in the clear, from the ground to under surface of covering rock. Eight or ten people could sit down comfortably within this ancient chamber. The inside of the great slabs of stone were smooth and even. Two of them leaned in somewhat, but the other four had maintained the erect position in which they were originally placed thousands of years ago. Coming out of the tomb, I clambered up on the great flat stone that roofed it in. This huge granite slab is more than thirteen feet long and ten feet wide. It averages about twenty inches in thickness, gradually tapering from one end to the other. On the top surface of the stone were many little cup- shaped hollows, perfectly round, about two inches in diameter, and scarcely an inch deep. It is supposed that these were cut for the purpose of catching the blood of ani- mals offered as sacrifices on the fiat rock. And this, together with the altar-like appearance of the structure, gave rise to the belief that all such remains were sacrificial altars. It is now, however, established that they were tombs for burial, although it is very probable that beasts Avere sacrificed upon them for the repose of the dead, or for some such purpose, in which case one can account for the little round hollows. In popular parlance the cup-like depressions are poetically called " elf -qvarnar " — " mills of the elves." The entrance to this tomb is on the southeast side, and t)' THE PKOVINCE OF BUIIUS. 661 is nearly four feet wide. Just outside stand two flat stones now leaning outward. They doubtless originally stood upright and parallel with each other, and formed the inner portion of a stone passage-way leading into the tomb; for this grave is considered by some Swedish antiquarians to be one of the class known as "ganggrifter" — "passage- graves " — and both the sepulchral chamber and the passage- way to it were probably built in imitation of the abodes of living men of that early day. In its present condition, however, this grave closely resembles a dolmen, the earli- est form of sepulchral chamber built by the ancients of the Stone Age. In fact it appears to me most probable that the tomb is an intermediate type between the dolmens and the passage-graves. This tomb lies upon the estate of Hiiggvall and on the boirndary-line between the parishes of Lyse and Brastad. The division of the jjarishes is a very ancient one, and the line was doubtless run through the old altar-tomb as a con- venient landmark. A stone wall is now built on this line, and the tomb forms part of it; but its huge flat rock is raised distinctly above the little stones of the wall. This grave was once surrounded with a mound of earth, of which some traces still remain. The mound was oval and about forty-six feet in its longest diameter. Chatting with the little son of the boatswain as we strolled back, he called the grave a "dyrhus." This is provincial for ' ' djurhus ' ' —literally ' ' animal house. ' ' But the kind of animals that the peasantry believe inhabit these strange old houses of stone have something uncanny about them, like the fauns of Latin mythology. Looking back, we could see the grim old stone altar from far over the moor, standing as it had stood for over four thousand years; for this sepiilchral chamber was prob- ably built near the time of the pyramids, and the old king of the Northland, who was buried here, lived and loved, fought and died, before Abraham was born. We drove on through another valley, past the pretty new Gothic church of Brastad, and pulled up our horses 662 SWEDEN AND THE SWEDES. about a mile be3'oncl. We passed through a gate in the fence, and wall^ed along a little grass-grown road that led to a farmer's red cottage. On our left were level, culti- vated fields; but to our right a long ridge of dark rock sloped gently up from the plain. The rock ridge extended to the farm-house and on to other red houses beyond, and the little farm-road skirted the foot of the slope. As we walked along, a stout girl came running toward us with two buckets of water and a bunch of evergreen boughs in her hands. She emptied her pails upon the smooth surface of the rock and whisked the water about as it ran down the slight incline, and lo! there appeared, cut into the tablet of stone, ships and cii'cles and beasts and birds, a two- wheeled cart, and the figures of men — one of them a big fellow, five feet tall, with sword at side, greatly swelling calves, upraised arms, and an ax held aloft in his right hand. The other figures were relatively smaller. One vessel had six, and another three, easily discernible human figures standing up on board. There were more than twenty ships delineated in different positions on the rock. In some cases only the hull was engraved. In others there were upright marks indicating the crew. All the ships were long, low craft, with lofty bow and stern rising in graceful curves. In some cases both bow and stern curved upward and terminated in spirals, out of which projected two straight lines near together, like horns out of the spiral head. This latter form is said to be pecul- iar to the rock-carvings of Brastad jjarish. Such orna- mentation as this suggests the dragon's head that grinned from tlie lofty prow of the viking ship, and the figure- heads of the vessels of oiir own time. There were also tracks of human feet cut in the stone, many incomprehensible figures, several little cup-shaped hollows, just such as we had seen on the top stone of the sepulchral chamber at Haggvall, and which Doctor Curnian told me almost invariably accom^jany, in greater or less number, everj' rock-carving of the Bronze Age 'SKOMAKAREN," ROCK-CARVING AT BACKA. Size, 1-50 Original. I' 663) 664 SWEDEN AND THE SWEDES. The figures are all represented on a scale smaller than reality. The man with the uplifted ax is the largest. He is familiarly called "skomakaren" — "the shoemaker" — by the country-folk. Some of the ships may be over five feet long, but most of them are much less than that; yet, so many figures occupy a considerable space on the sloping rock, the whole picture covering a surface twenty-nine feet high bj^ fifteen feet wide. The figures are all cut out en bloc. The whole surface of every image is sunk into the rock tablet as if pressed in with a die, and this gives you one of the great character- istic differences between these figures of the remote past and those cut iti the later viking times. The viking figures are engraved in outline; but, in the " hallristningar, " every image of man or beast or bird is an intaglio, cut sol- idly into the rock and looking like a silhouette. The cuttings are very shoal. I do not think any of them are sunk one-third of an inch into the stone; most of them are less than this. On the dry cliff, under a high sun, yon scarcely see anything but the dark-gray rock itself. It was only when the water was poured on, and when by shifting our position we got a favorable light to glance over the wet surface, that we could fully make out these ancient pictures. I had expected to find these carvings cut upon the upright surface of a perpendicular cliff; but they are never found in such a position. The old rock-engravers always selected the gently sloping, sometimes nearly level, surface, where the rock had been ground and polished by the glaciers. These were his tablets, which he took ready- made from the hand of nature, and here, low down along the inclined cliff-side, he i)ictiired the mighty deeds of him- self and his clan. The group of the "skomakaren" is perhaps the most celebrated of the rock-carvings of Sweden, and is the first one of which a sketch was made and given out in print. It is probable, however, that the chief figure of this group is a much more important personage than a "shoe- maker." Prof. Oscar Montelins, whose writings on the THE PROVINCE OF HOIIUS. 665 prehistoric nges of Scandinavia have gained for him aphice among the first archaeologists of our time, suggested to me, in a recent conversation, that this figure was probably a rude representation of the god Thor — the thunderer. He certainly towers godlike among the other figures on the rock, and he bears in his hand an ax, which Avas some- times used instead of the hammer — Mjdlne — as the symbol of the thunder god. In this connection it is interesting to note that upon a stone-relief from Nineveh, as well as upon a I'elief in terra cotta from the island of Rhodes, the god of thunder is represented with an ax in one hand and lightning in the other. These reliefs are nearlj" contemporaneous with the " hallristningar " of Sweden. Should this suggestion be correct, as 1 believe it to be, it would sliOAV a verj' early worship of the god of thunder and of war, and tend to confirm the belief that Thor and not Odin stood first among the gods of the Norsemen. "We had already jiassed by two more rock-pictures, one a ship and the other a circle, and walking on over the clean undulating surface of the rock, examined many others. The engravings were chiefly in groups— some only a few steps from each other, others one hundred and fifty yards apart. Then you would Avalk over an interval of perhaps five hundred yards and come to other groups. The peasant girl, with pails and brush, followed along, run- ning to the farm-houses at the foot of the cliff for water, and pouring it on to bring out every picture. There were ships with and without crews in almost every group. There Avere also represented men, beasts, two-wheeled carts — sometimes with a span of horses attached— birds, and always the mysterious circles, cup-shaped hollows, and tracks of human feet. Perhaps these mystic circles are symbols of the sun. Surely the old Northmen had better cause than most heathen for worshiping the sun, that conquered the night and cold of the long winter, melted the snows from their fields and the ice from the fjords ! W,-: 11- .'^'^ a^ 3r I i::sE*??¥ *=f r' ^ -t TV ■'11 i|liiii;i!lK|»iillPi5»Cii!'«'^'Jliii|'i^^^ (0G6) THE PROVINCE OE BOHUS. 667 In all, there are fourteen pictures carved on the smooth cliff-side; most of the pictures being groups composed of man J' figures. The most remarkable besides the "shoe- maker " group is close by the last of the little red houses. Here are five men, all with their arms outstretched or up- raised; one holds a ship in his hand, another a wagon, a third a circle — perhaps a shield, perhaps the sun— and a fourth seems to be leading the near horse of a sx)an har- nessed to a two-wheeled wagon. There are at least twentj'- two animals of different kinds, some are very good repre- sentations of dogs, while others — with lofty, branching ant- lers, long clunis}' head, and big ears — are unmistakable and in fact meritorious etchings of the Swedish elk. You can make out fifteen vessels, some of them with crews; one ship with a man standing near the stern, probably the steersman, and another with one man in stern and another near the bows, both standing with uplifted arms, as if hailing. "Ship ahoy I" Do I hear your hail, old sea-rovers of the North, echoing down througli the ages from a time a thousand years before Christ walked upon the stormy sea ? Alas, you are dumb! You did th^j best you knew, grim old warriors, to tell us your tale of manly achievement by sea and land, in combat, in the chase, and in raising your herds and tilling the soil; but you lived before the time of runes. The only sign you could make to us was by these jjictures you have cut witli your rude tools on the rocks. But the tales, the traditions, the sagas, that accompanied your pictures, that gave them life and meaning, have died forever from the lips of men, and your pictures are, alas, dumb as the Sphinx of Egypt. Y^et not wholly dumb, for though the tale you would tell will never speak forth from the rock where you have inscribed it, though we shall never know your story as a connected narrative, the isolated figures you have made are full of meaning, and tell us more of your life than any other relics of the ages of bronze or stone. Regarded in this light the "hallristningar " are tlie most important and interesting mementos of the prehistoric ages 668 SWEDEN AND THE SWEDES. of Scandinavia. Tliey are found in several of tlie provinces of Sweden and Norway, but tlie great majority are here in tlie province of Bohus. One of tlie most interesting of these is tliis collection I have endeavored to describe alona: the farm-road of tlie estate of Backa, in the parish of Brastad. "When were these rock-iigures madei Not in the Stone Age, for there are many indications that they were cut with sharp-pointed tools of metal. Again, the swoi-d is fre- quently represented — a weapon unknown in the age of stone. Not in the Iron Age; for, as we liave seen, no runes CAVALRY. ( From a Rock-Carvine at Tegneby.) accompany them, and they are all cut as intaglios instead of in outline. Furthermore, of all the multitude of ships carved in the "hallristningar," not one has a trace of a mast to bear aloft the sail of tlie dragon ship of the vikings. These pictures must then have been made by the people of the Bronze Age. This age, as we have seen, extended from 1500 to 500 B. C, and the "hallristningar" tell us, by their ships, that the old Scandinavians of that early epoch were a sea-fariug people. By the great numbers of ships and their appearing in almost every picture, it is fair to presume that following the sea was their chief pursuit. As there is an entire absence of masts and sails, and as oars are sometimes represented, we know the northern ships THE PKOYINCE OF BOHUS. 669 must have been propelled by rowing; and when we see a ship filled with armed men, with weapons raised ready to strike, we know there must have been sea-tights in those northern waters two thousand years before the vikings. Those old ships must have been of goodly size, too, for one rock-picture in the parish of Qville, to the north of Lysekil, represents a ship with a crew of one hundred and twenty-four men on board, placed along the entire length of the vessel as they would be in rowing. Men standing in battle-array, , with shields and swords and battle- axes raised against each other, show i that these Scandinavians were war- war-ship riors by land as well as by sea; and men on horseback, with lances and shields, prove they had cavalry as well as infantry. Pictures of dogs and elk, other wild animals and birds, make it clear that the chase was still pursued. Horses harnessed to two and four wheeled wagons inform iis that A these animals were ali'eady used for JftlBr In^L '^^I'^'^^'ii^o loads, and a farmer driving his ^BBjS^J^ft^lP yoke of oxen hitched to the plo-\\', which ^wp^ drW is pictured on the rocks at Tegneby near PLOWING VW T.^nuni church, together with many bronze sickles found in Sweden, throw a flood of light on the advance the old dwellers in the Bronze Age. had made in agriculture. And there is one of these ]Dicture-writings that I think is not dumb, it still tells its tale. At Hvitlycke, in the parish of Tanum, there is sculj^tured a coujDle in each other's embrace. Approaching them and standing over them is the grim figure of a man nearly twice the size of the em- bracing pair — mighty in his wrath — who holds an upraised ax over their heads, and is in the posture of striking. Can there be any doubt of the tale here told '] A tale older than civilization, older than the fair Helen and Paris and Men- elaus and the Trojan "War, older than the age of bronze ! A t^. (670) THE PROVINCE OF BOIIUy. 671 tale as old as frail linmaii nature— the tale of the faitnless wife, the guilty lover, the returning husband and Lis just vengeance. In many things those old rock-carvei's were very like people nowadays. The ' ' hallristningar "are seldom found far away from the sea; neither are they upon the immediate sea-shore, and never upon the smaller islands along the coast. They are generally met with along the edge of fertile lands that have been cultivated probably for ages. Could these rock-carv- ings have marked the site of villages and settlements ? The stone cairns of chieftains of this same age of bronze stand on the hill-tops around. Indeed it is asserted that there is scarce a rock-carving in Sweden, but that, from its low-lying tablet, you may see the barrows of the mighty dead upon neighboring bluffs. Do then the rock-pictures carved stone, kivik. strive to tell the deeds of those who lie above under the stone heaps on the hills, and do the "hallristningar" mark the route of some northern Appian way? Alas, who can tell ? So Ave thought and talked, the doctor and I, as we drove home in the lingering light of evening. Behind my villa at Lysekil rises a rounded rock cliff. Atoi3 the cliff, overlooking the sea, sits an ancient cairn. I climbed uj) to it one day; a couple of magpies chattering upon its top flew away as I approached. It was a round heaped-up mound of stones, perhaps forty feet in diameter and five feet high. The stones were rounded bowlders, nearl}^ every one a strong man's buiden. Two men could scarcely lift and carry some of them. In the center of tliis barrow was undoubtedly once a stone cist, Axhicli contained the remains of him in whose honor these stones were piled 672 SWEDEN AND THE SWEDES. up. But the cairn had been entered and ijlundered, prob- ably centuries ago. The stones were thrown out from the center, and no trace of a coffin was left. A couple of stone-casts bej-ond, on the crest of another undulation of the cliff, was a second cairn. This is not of the usual round form, but an oblong, somewhat more than one hundred feet in length. Just below, in the valley, is the white church of Lysekil, and beside it the little white wooden crosses which mark the graves of the dead of our own time. But it seemed to me that the old heathen sea- king had a grander resting-place, sleeping in his great stone cairn on the cliff- top which overlooks the wide sea on which he had lived and fought and conquered. Across the valley, still another cairn topped the opposite cliff'. These ancient barrows are piled up on commanding heights all along this wild coast. They are generally round, and from thirty to fifty feet in diameter, and five to eight feet high. Some, however, are much larger. One cairn in the parish of Bottna ])eing one hundred and ninety- two feet in diameter, or nearly six hiindred feet in circum- ference. The outer stones were i^robably placed on with regularity and care; but it is difficult to determine their exact original position, as the cairns have nearly all been opened and plundered by throwing the toj) and center stones over the sides. It is reasonably certain that the dead were buried in a cist or coffin built up of stones in the center of the cairn, and also that nearly all these stone mounds belong to the age of the " hallristningar." In the earlier centuries of this age, the bodies were buried, unburned, in large cists. In the later centuries, the dead were burned and their ashes placed in small cists. The cairns are almost without exception heaped up on heights along the shore. Many are found on the inner higher islands, none on the outer low-lying isles. On the islands, and close to the shore, these barrows may be found on lesser heights; farther inland, they are only built on top the loftiest hills. Everywhere thej^ look out upon the sea. 43 (673) 674 SWEDEN AND THE SWEDES. The old heathen of the Northland must have believed that their dead heroes still lived on the heights, and so placed their cairns where they could still hear the rote of the sea and look out over its great blue expanse— the wide field of their activity, danger, and triumph. When once I had gotten interested in these ancient tumuli, I kept descrying them in my sails along the coast, standing bleak and lonely atop the loftiest cliffs. One day I sailed into Bro Fjord. As we approached the island Ryskon, the grand rock masses of the bay were topped on every hand by the cairns of the sea-kings. The mounds of gray mossy stone outlined themselves against the sky from nearly every height. On an elevated phxteau to the west of the island stood three grand barrows in line. Bro Fjord must have been a central point in the Bohus of the Bronze Age. It is not far across overland to the " hallristningar " on the Backa estate. We sailed in between Ryskon and tlie shore, and laying alongside a little Danish lugger, the Wilhelmina, that was loading paving-stones for Copenhagen, I borrowed her boat and pulled ashore. Tlie face of the rock plateau rose abruptly from the fjord to a height of some three hundred feet. I easily ascended the sloping side of the hill farthest down the fjord, and gained the great rock shelf above, where, looking out over islands and cliffs and bays, stand, grand and mute, the cairns of three kings of the North. These round mounds of gray rock are placed in a straight line nearly parallel with the shore, and at equal distances from each other. They are perhaps one hundred and tifty yards apart, and are larger than those at Lysekil. They are also built of larger stones. The northernmost cairn exceeds the others in size, as seems fitting, and must be fifty feet in diameter by eight feet high. This rocky height is called "Treroseberget " — " the mountain of the three cairns." As we sailed away, we could see from afar off the three gray barrows rising above the lofty cliff, commanding the fjord and a wide sweep of the ocean horizon. NORTHERN WARRIOR, OF ABOUT 300 A. D «75) 676 SWEDEN AND THE SWEDES. More than twelve centuries rolled round after the last chieftain of the Bronze Age had been laid to rest in his cairn on the cliff, before the first viking shij:) was descried off the coast of England. But through the long cycles of the Iron Age the Northmen made progress in both the arts of war and j)eace. They improved their tools and weapons, they gave a sail to the dragon ship, and they learned the use of Runic letters, Tiie accompanying engraving I'epre- sents a Northern warrior of the early Iron Age — about the year 300 of our era. His arms, helmet, and garb are worthy a hero of Homer. And this is no sketch of the imagination. As Professor Montelius pertinently says, " Every line of this picture is true to history, because both clothes, weapons, and ornaments are copied from what has actuall.v been found," preserved in the peat-bogs of Jutland. That the use of runes was known among the Swedes of this epoch is proved by a rune-stone found at Tanum in Bohus. It is one of the earliest Runic monuments in the Northland, and must have been inscribed as earlj^ as the fourth century. The inscription is cut in earlj^ runes and reads, Avhen transformed into the letters of our alphabet, THRAWINGAN HAITINAR WAS. Translated into English, [The stone] " was called Thrawinge's." Nearly five hundred years after the time represented by the Northern warrior and the lune-stojie, the heathen Iron Age of the North flowered out, as with a crop of spears, into the mighty achievements of the vikings, which terri- fied Europe for thr-ee centuries, and then ceased with the victory of Christianity over the Asa-gods. Two of the most interesting monuments of this latest Iron Age lie within the limits of Bohus. It was a merry party that drove out of the little city of Stromstad of a bright August day in 1887. First rode a king and qu.een mounted on horseback. Their majesties wore crowns of gilt pasteboard, and were clothed in gaily- colored royal robes of calico. They were no other than Frithiof the bold, and Ingeborg the fair. The king ^^^' RUNE-STONE AT TANUM (677) 678 SWEDEN AND THE SWEDES. braiidislied a huge wooden sword and off lie galloped witli his queen, their horses kicking up a cloud of dust and the royal regalia fluttering in the wind. Then came a long line of single and double carriages, containing married couples, or young fellows with their pretty fixuicees, or, in a few instances, couples that were Just on the point of being affi- anced. For, unless the engagement w-ere to be publicly announced on the morrow, no gentleman in Sweden would be peruiitted to drive out with his lady-love alone. Last of all followed a number of hay-racks, trimmed with green boughs and tilled with companies of twenty, who sung and shouted as they drove on. For were there not a sufficient number of chaperons to each cart 'i And coirld not the girls be as jolly as they pleased ''. After driving some live or six miles inland, we stopped at the ample farm-house of Blomsholm. This estate is both ancient and rich. Among its later owners was Berna- dotte the King. Then our party, whicli numbered about one hundred, strolled along over a farm-road, which led into thick spruce- woods. Here King Frithiof ordered a halt. A favored few were permitted to proceed. The rest were commanded, on pain of instant death, to remain where they were until they received the signal to advance. And so we of the immediate court passed along the wood road, up a gentle incline, until we came upon an oiDen space — a circle cut out of the thick forest. In the center of the round clearing was a large bowlder, thirty-two feet in cir- cumference and six feet high above ground. Tliis great rock was oblong or oval, and quite flat on top. In a perfect circle around this central stone were placed ten smaller bowlders, standing on end. These rocks were three or four feet in diameter, and some four feet or more high. I ascertained by x^acing that they stood equidistant from each other, and ten paces apart; also that each one was fifteen paces from the central stone. Accurate meas- urement shows that this stone circle is one hundred and ten feet in diameter. THE PROVINCE OF BOHUS. 679 It was with a feeling of awe and veneration that I stepped into this dread ring of ancient stones, upraised by the vikings, and surrounded now by a thicli forest of ever- green. Why were these stones placed here in this perfect ring? To what uses were they put* What scenes have been enacted within this charmed circle ? All around are the remains of burial mounds. Was the stone ring the place of sepulture of some great king '( Or perhaps this central stone was the altar, where sacrifices of beasts or men were celebrated, while the priests stood within the circle of the rocks, and the people outside. Or was not this the ancient seat of justice, the original place of assize, where Judge or ruler, sitting on central stone, and jury, placed upon the stones around, heard complaints and dispensed justice to their clansmen* N"o man knows. The latter view, however, is the i)opular one. These stone rings are called by the country-folk " domaresaten " — "judgment-seats" — and the one we had entered is the most ijerfect of all within the x^rovince of Bohus. But my meditations on a former age were interrupted by seeing the king and queen, with a run and a leap that would have done honor to a viking, jump on top the central bowlder. Ten gentlemen now arrayed themselves in a fan- tastic Druidical garb, and, disguised with long gray beards, seated themselves upon the ten stones of the ring. All was now ready. The signal was given, and the main body of our party came pouring into the circle, shouting their praises of the prehistoric woodland scene; while king and queen assumed positions of portentous majesty, enthroned on the central rock, and the judges sat grim as "Druids of eld " on the ten stones around. Of course, now came a trial; and, of course, the crime was the ever interesting breach of promise of marriage. The culprit was a young Count Sparre, noted for his attentions to the ladies. He was brought forward, arrayed in a bhick cloak and wearing a black pyramid hat of enormous pro- jjortions. The prosecuting attorney was Ph. Dr. Meyer of Stock- 680 SWEDEN AND THE SWEDES. holm. Many witnesses were examined. The evidence of both the promise and the breach was overwlielming, and Doctor Meyer made an extraordinary historical and rhetor- ical effort in snmming up the proofs of the prisoner's infamous conduct. Count Sparre was now led befoi-e the king and queen, in the center of the arena. Their majesties pronounced the culj^rit guilty, and sentenced him to imprisonment. The count was then conducted to the oldest of the judges sit- ting in the ring around. The venerable Druid, with long gray beard and flashing eye, solemnly proclaimed, "domen ar rattvis" — " the judgment is just." And so declared all the other judges, as the culprit was led in turn before them — all save one. I had been honored with a seat on the bench, or, more literally, on one of the ten cold, uneven-topped rocks. When the count was brought before me, I gave an Indian war-whoop — this being the most prehistoric Amer- ican utterance I could think of. But the unexpected cry caused no confusion, as it was immediately declared to be the American method of conlirming a verdict. The condemned man now threw the learned court into dire confusion by marrying the "woman in the case;" whereat, he was pardoned by the king, made a royal cham- berlain, and invested with a golden key. Then came music and dancing and a sumptuous picnic lunch at this ancient seat of judgment. And the courteous Swedes did not forget to offer the toast of "Our American Guest," with many polite allusions to his country and him- self; and the American was glad to be able to reply to the courtesy in the speech of the descendants of the old vikings, that, one thousand years ago, raised the stones that, mute and grim, surrounded our merry party. It seems strange that the use of these circles of bowlders, undoubtedly raised in the last of the heathen ages, is not known with exactness and certainty. In the autumn after my visit to Stromstad, I had a con- versation with Dr. Hans Hildebrand on these remains of the Iron Age. Speaking of the popular belief that these H k-"^^ J Lifer ' •" (681) 682 SWEDEN" AND THE SWEDES. rings were old judgment-seats, the doctor, who combines great learning with rare common-sense, asked me : "Did yon sit down on any of the stones ? " "Yes." ' ' Did yon lind it comfortable \ ' ' •'Decidedly not." "Neither would the men of the Iron Age. Surely," con- tinued the doctor, " our ancestors were not fools, and they would not select the sharp tops of upright stones to sit upon during a protracted trial." I think the preponderance of opinion on the part of Swedish antiquarians is, that this ring of rocks and others like it in the Northland were used as places of sacrifice. After our banquet, Ave strolled off through the woods, and, crossing a pretty stream near a mill, came out upon a meadow. Here, upon a nearly level surface, were standing a. large number of slabs of stone, that, even at a distance, we could see were arranged symmetrically and with design. What this design was one instantly apprehends on draw- ing near. Two outward-curving lines, containing some twentj--five stones each, prick out upon the ground an oval that is the exact shape of the deck of a viking ship. This beautiful and symmetrical stone ship, though not the largest, is the most perfect and most striking in all the Northland. It is one hundred and forty-one feet from stem to stern, and this line of length runs north and south. Its greatest width is thirty-one and one-half feet. The stem, or northern slab of stone, is eleven feet high and four feet l)road. The stern, or southern slab, stands fourteen and one-half feet above ground, and is also four feet broad. Thence the stones curve outward, diminishing in height to only three feet midships, thus giving not only the contour but the sheer of the vessel. The number of stones now standing is forty-nine. Originally, there must have lieen two more. It is known that the vikings did not steer with a rud- der, but with a broad oar thrust out from the starboard THE PROVINCE OP BOHUS. 683 quarter of their ships, whence this side of the vessel was called "styrbord" — ''steerboard"— corrupted by us into starboard; and here, at a little distance from tlie starboard quarter of this ship of rock, is a low flat stone representing the steering oar, and making certain which end is the stern of the vessel. There is happily no doubt hanging over the meaning, intent, and purpose of "the stone ship," as it is called. It was raised in the Viking Age, and within its walls was buried _^„ as a.«ai<»»,£a.5,^^ e3> Q0 C3 Q^ ^ ^ o cy CS" GROUND PLAN OF STONE SHIP. a king of the seas. A more impressive, a more appropriate monument I think I never saw. Grandly the old viking rested, girdled round about with more than fifty monu- ments, that, standing in solemn, silent lines, reproduced the form of the good sliij) from whose deck the brave old heathen ruled the waves. While our horses were being hitched up, the proi^rietor of the estate of Blomsholm called me into his large farm- hoirse and showed a portrait in colors, and framed, of one Christian Jacobsen Drachenberg, a boatswain in the Danish service. On the back side of the picture were pasted a number of newspaper clippings, which stated that Drachen- berg was born on this estate of Blomsholm the 16tli of November, 1626, and died at Aalborg, October 9th, 1772, nearly one hundred and forty-six years old. When one hundred and eleven years of age, the grand old man was married to Mar^en Michelsdotter Bagge, she being a blooming bride of sixtv sunmiers. On the one hundredth 684 SWEDEN AND THE SWEDES. anniversary of his deatli, which would be in 1872, there was a celebration of the event on this estate where he was born, and the newspaper clii^pings were from Swedish and Norwegian papers of that date giving an account of the festivities. From inquiries subsequently made, and from my knowl- edge of the scrupulous care and honesty with which the Scandinavian records of births. and deaths are VIKING SHIP FOUND AT GOKSTAD, NORWAY. (Restored,) kept, I have no doubt that the above-recited story of Drachenberg is true to the letter, and that he actually lived to the great age of almost one hundred and forty-six years. "What events in the world's history were spanned by the life of this one man ! Born in the time of Gustavus Adol- phns, before the great King entered upon the Thirty Years' War, and only six years after the landing of our Pilgrim Fathers at Plymouth, Drachenberg li\-ed until within three years of the American Declaration of Independence. Snrely a worthy descendant of the sea-kings of the North was this old boatswain. v^-® ^ ^f'vi (685) ORBYHUb UPLANC < 686 ) CHAPTEII L, VF SA LA. 'N the spring of 1889, there came another change in the administration of the United States, and I was re- stored to my old post in the Northland. ^ In the antumn of the same year, I made an excursion to Upsala — "the lofty halls." There is much of interest clustering about this old city. It was the ancient capital of Svea Land, and center of the heathen culture of the Swedish people. Here, of yore, stood the glittering temple of the old gods; and here, to-day, is the seat of the great Swedish university. Upsala lies forty-one miles north of Stockholm, and num- bers at the present time about twenty-two thousand inhab- itants. You may take the cars and be whirled there in less than an hour and a half, or you can make a delightful trip thither by boat on the Malar Lake; and siirelj^, unless you are pressed for time, you wdll prefer the breezy deck of the steamer to a dusty compartment in a railway train. It was a crisp September morning when we steamed away from Riddarholmen. The sun glinted the waves in our wake brightly but coldly, and the boisterous north wind keenly reminded us that the short Swedish summer was past. Three Upsala students, distinguished by their white caps, waved their kerchiefs from the deck, and a group of sweethearts, mothers, and sisters waved in reply from the quay till Stockholm was lost to view. We sail between the Scylla and Charybdis of Marieberg and Langholmen— cartridge factory and state x^rison — and on out upon the broadening Malar. The wooded hills were stili green, though here and there a bough tipped with red (687 I 688 SWEDEN AND THE SWEDES. or yellow shot up like a tlame, and the many villas peered brightly forth from out the foliage. Soon we leave the main lake to steam up its long, narrow, northern arm, and, passing through a floating-bridge, see the white walls of Drottningholm palace flUing up the vista of the road between the trees. Fertile fields at intervals slope gently to the water, and an occasional villa or farm- house glistens out of the green wood; but our route for the most part lay between rocky hills covered with sombre pine and spruce, save where the gray cliffs broke oft' sharp and bare to the lake. On the west bank is the chateau of Lennartsnas, once owned by Lennart Torstenson, one of the grandest heroes of the Thirty Years' War. Its great white walls, with black roof, rise conspicuously amid ancient groves, and between the trees we catch glimpses of white statues in the garden. Slowly we sail through the narrow strait, Staket, and see, on the island of Almare-Staket on our left, a few crumbling ruins of the Castle St. Eriks Borg, within whose walls the Upsala Archbishop, Gustaf Trolle, long defied the power of Sten Sture. The castle was finally taken and destroyed by Sture in 1617. Steaming on, we turn to the left between high, densely- wooded hills and enter Tarn Sund, the most picturesque pass of the trip. Here, close to the shore, stands a little white fisher-cottage. "The steamer is always polite to that house," says Captain Settergren; "just watch her now." And sure enough, the Nya Upsala raised her prow and made a bow two feet deep. A narrow, submerged bar explains this politeness. Though there are two feet of water under the ship's keel, her bow rises at the shoal bar, and then plunges into the deep water beyond. Straight before us lies Sigtuna, the ruined tower of St. Per standing high above the humble red-tiled houses of to-day. This is the oldest city of Central Sweden, and was 44 FROM SIGTUNA. (669) 690 SWEDEN AND THE SWEDES. formerly one of the richest and most prosperous marts in the realm, with many churches, cloisters, and guilds. It was destroyed by the Esthonian vikings in their great incursion of 1181. They carried away, as part of their booty, two massive silver doors, taken from the choir of one of the churches; but the golden key was lost in the Malar Lake, where it still lies. These doors, it is said, now adorn a church in Novgorod, Russia. Sigtuna has now dwindled to a city of only five hundred and fifty-two inhabitants, the smallest, except perhaps one, in Sweden; and of its former magnificence little is left save tlie ruins of the churches of St. Per, St. Olof, and St. Lars — and tlie Stadskyrkan, once the church of the Dominican cloister, and still preserved and in use. But, venerable as is this ancient city, there was a still older Sigtuna — the Sigtuna of the sagas, known in more recent times as For-Sigtuna or Forn- Sigtuna. This was situated on the opposite or western side of the lake, near the picturesque Signildsberg, the scene of the well-known saga of Signe and Hagbart. As we neared the Sigtuna of to-day, we saw flags flying, and the dignitaries of the town all assembled on the pier. Two wore chapeaux and gold lace. They were the outgoing and incoming mayors. All were waiting to receive Gov- ernor Themptander, who had come on in the boat, and was to install the new head of the city government. " A most extraordinary occasion," says the captain; "it has not happened before for forty j^ears, and will not hap- pen again for another forty, that is, if the new mayor holds office as long as the old one." Verily, this gave me a new idea in city i^olitics ! Farther on, we see the towers and walls of Skokloster rising proudly above the woods on our left. An ancient "forest cloister" of the Cistercian nuns once stood on this spot, and still gives its name to the palace. This imposing structure was erected by Field-Marshal Carl Gustaf Wran- gel, and filled with the spoils he had taken in the Thirty Years' War. At his death it came into the possession of UPSALA. 691 his son-in-law, Connt Nils Brake, and has remained in the Brahe family to this day. Skokloster is unquestionably the largest and grandest private palace in Sweden. It forms a square, one Imndred and forty feet on each side, and incloses a court-yard. It is four stories high, and has a handsome tower at each of the four corners. Inside, the chateau is a perfect museum of treasures and curiosities. The armory contains one thousand two hun- dred guns and eight hundred swords, daggers, and other weapons — many of them inlaid with ivory, mother-of-pearl, and precious stones. In the library are over thirty thoiisand volumes, and a valuable collection of old manuscripts, some of them beautifully illuminated. The spacious rooms and salons of the palace are tilled with antique and elegant furniture, and adorned with paintings, Venetian mirrors, rare old porcelain, and curious bric-a- brac; while the walls are hung with magnificent gobelin tapestries which still retain their bright, fresh colors. But there was one little jewel that interested me more than all the other treasures of the castle. In a glass case lay a tiny gold ring, set with an oblong ruby, red as a drop of blood, surrounded by diamonds. So small is this circlet of gold that few damsels of the present day could wear it. This is the ring the great Gustavus Adolphus gave his first and only true love, the beautiful and gifted Ebba Brahe, on their betrothal. The diamond ring Ebba gave Gustavus in return is preserved in the sacrist}^ of the cathedral at Upsala. Ebba's portrait hanging on the palace wall reveals a face' of rare beauty and nobility, with a rich complexion, large almond eyes, and a profusion of auburn hair. Another picture, taken when she was old, wears a hard look. You seem to see in it how heavily the disappointment of her life weighed upon her. How devotedly Gustavus loved the maid his heart had chosen is shown by his letters to her. Five of them are still preserved; they all breathe the deep- est and i)urest affection. One, found in a secret drawer in (092) U PSA LA. 693 Ebba's bureau long after her death, is signed by Gustavus with a monogram composed of the initial letters of both their names, G. E. A. B., intertwined with each other. But the hard old Queen had willed that her son should marry a princess and not a Swedish subject. By her intrigues and machinations she at last succeeded in separat- ing the loving pair, though sure it is that in relinquishing Ebba Brahe the great King gave up forever the joy of his life. Ebba vi^as married to the renowned Swedish field- marshal, Jacob de la Gardie, and, some years after, Gusta- vus wedded a German princess; but he could never confide in her, she was always more of a plaything than a com- panion, and the only child of their union was the fickle, erratic, incomprehensible Christina. The hills become lower as on we sail, the forests less dense; broad, level, cultivated fields appear; we have changed the skargard scenery around Stockholm for the fertile levels of Upland. Beyond a gi'ove on our right, the captain points out the white tower of Alsike kyrka. From this region comes the famous Alsike clover, so extensively grown throughout the United States. Passing through the bridge of Flotsund, we enter the narrow Fyris River. Before ns, and to the right, stretches away, like an American jtraii'ie, the vast plain of Upsala, through which the Fyris winds its muddy, canal-like stream. Few districts in Sweden are better adapted for cultiva- tion; one sees at a glance the fertility that attracted thither the earl}'' tillers of the soil, and made Upsala the historical center of Svea Land. Far away on the horizon stand the three mounds of the kings, with the church of Gamla Upsala hard by; nearer, the Upsala of to-day lies strewn along the plain. Beyond a pine-grove rise the twin towers of the grand cathedral, and as we steam on through the ancient Fyrisvall, we bring into view the great pink walls and round-towers of the old 694 SWEDE>f AND THE SWEDES. Governor s palace, built by Gustavns Vasa on a command- ing height, but never finished, and now partly destroyed by fire. Sweden has two state universities — Upsala and Lund — but the irniversity of Upsala is the older, larger, and more THE PALACE AT UPSALA. celebrated of the two. It was founded by Sten Sture in 1477, fifteen years before Columbus discovered the New World, and was generously endowed by Gustavus Adol- Xihns. He enriched it also with the spoils of both the Polish and Thirty Years' War. After the capture of Wilrzburg, Germany, the great King sent the entire Epis- copal library over the Baltic to Upsala; at the same time, he forwarded the Twelve Apostles in silver and the Virgin Mary in gold to the Swedish mint. Bt)th Upsala and Lund ai'e universities in the highest and best sense of the word, and, at either of them, as good a general or special education may doubtless be obtained as anywhere in the world, or as the capacity of the student is capable of acquiring. UPS ALA, 695 Yonng men enter these universities at about nineteen years of age. A strict examination must first be passed The course for the higher degree in philosopliy generally takes six or seven years; for the degree in law, six years; in tlieology, five or six; and in medicine, from eight to ten, which seems to show that the Swedes deem a fuller and more exact knowledge to be necessary for saving men's lives tlian either their souls or estates. At Upsala are sixty j)rofessors and seventy docents and other instructors. There are also some one thousand eight hundred students. They all wear white caps during the warmer half of the year, and are everywhere to be seen — on the streets, in the parks, and at the hotels and cafes. THE NEW UNIVERSITY BUILDING. From their never-failing presence year after year, Upsala has been called "the city of eternal youth." On entering the university, the student is bound to join one of the thirteen 'nations." These societies take their names from the different provinces of Sweden, and each na- tion has its own building, or rooms, and its distinctive flag. 696 SWEDEN AND THE SWEDES. These nations correspond somewliat to tlie Greek letter societies in onr American colleges, but are more public, and play a larger part in determining the student's career. One of the chief anmsements of the students is part- singing. This they have carried to a high degree of excel- THE VESTIBULE IN THE NEW UNIVERSITY BUILDING, lence. It is well worth a trip to Upsala to hear a grand choir of two or three hundred students, with their fresh young voices, sing the grand, patriotic, and plaintive songs of their native land. At the World's Exposition at Paris, in 1867, it was the Upsala students who took the world's UPSALA. 697 first prize for song over the clioirs of all the competing nations on tlie globe; and they tool^ it easily. The new university building at Upsala is undoubtedly one of the largest and most magnificent college edifices in the world. It was completed in 1886, at a cost of about three hundred and fifty thousand dollars, and contains forty-nine halls and larger rooms for lectures, faculty-meetings, valuable col- lections, and like purposes. You first enter a lofty vestibule, lighted from domes in the ceiling, and pass on into the magnificent aula. This is a spacious semicircular hall, with ample gallery circling around, and a grand dome vault- ing over all, from the top of which streams downward the light of day. The aula seats two thousand five hundred people, and there is ample room besides, on the platform in the apse, for hundreds of students to group themselves at their grand concerts. Over the portal to the aula are these words of Thorild, written in letters of gold : "Tanka FPaTT ar stort, Men tanka eatt ar storee."* A broad flight of stairs ascends on either side the vesti- bule. That on the left takes us up to the consistorium, a sumj)tuously-decorated rectangular room, with a ceiling of elaborate splendor. A long table runs down the middle of the hall, surrounded with high chairs. Around this board the professors of the university n)eet once a week in sol- emn council, during term time, while at the head of the table sits the Rector Magnificus on his lofty throne and presides over the deliberations. Among the other noticeable college buildings are the Gustavianum, with its Russian ball dome, now filled with a zoological collection, and the Carolina Rediviva on top of the hill overlooking Odins Lund. This large edifice con- tains the great Upsala library of two hundred and * " To think free is great, But to tliink riglit is greater." 698 .SWKDEX AND THE SWEDES. lifty thousand volumes and twelve thousand manuscripts. The pearl of the whole collection is the celebrated " Codex Argenteu.'i," captured in the Thirty Years' War. It con- tains the four Gospels in the Gothic language, and is the only book in the world that has been preserved and come down to us in that tongue. To it we are almost exclu- sively indebted for our knowledge of Gothic, the oldest of the Teutonic languages, and which stands in much the same relation to them as Sanscrit to the wliole Aryan family. The translation of the Gospels into Gothic was made by Bishop Ulphilas, who died in 388, and this copy was prob- ably made within a century after his death, or about four- teen hundred years ago. The ancient volume lay open at the Lord's Prayer, and it brought that olden time when Christ walked on earth strangely near to me, as I looked at these words of our Saviour and reflected that they were stamped on this parch- ment only some four hundred years after He uttered them. Close beside lay the oldest known manuscript of the prose "Edda," that treasured sjnioi^sis of the ancient Scan- dinavian mythology. This venerable document I had always regarded as hoai'y with age, but the heathen parch- UPSALA. 699 ment seemed a modern book by the side of the Christian " Godex,'"'' inscribed eight centuries earlier. The " Codex Argenteus^' is stamped with silver and gold letters on purple p)archment. The characters used are those of the Gothic alphabet, invented by Ulphilas, and many of them bear a strong resemblance to the Greek. Most of the letters are silver, hence the name of the ' ' Codex; ' ' but some initials, emphatic words, and occasionally whole lines, are gold, the transcriber having used the more x)recious metal for italicizing. The letters were not written with the pen, but stamped on the parchment, in all probability with hot metal types, in much the same way as our book-binders letter the covers of books. The old monk who laboriously stamped this parchment with his single types, a letter at a time, little knew how near lie came to inventing printing; yet, had he only com- bined three or four types together and stamped a word at once, the great invention Avould have been made then and there. The "CofZea;" consists of one hundred and eighty-seven pages of parchment. It is not a complete transcript of the Gosj)els; a number of pages are missing. It is inclosed in a handsome cover of silver, but this is modern and Swedish, and is guarded with the greatest care. Every night it is locked up in a fire and burglar proof safe. Once ten leaves were stolen. Twenty years afterward, a watchman of the library on his death-bed confessed the theft, and drew forth the missing leaves from under his pillow. Fifty years ago, the " Codex'' was placed in the Carolina, Eediviva. It has only once left the building. When the Oriental Congress visited Upsala, at the earnest request of its members, the venerable volume was brought into the new university building, that all might gaze upon it. "To come to Upsala and not see the ' Codex Argentevs," said Max Miiller, " would be like going to the holy land without seeing the holy grave." The Cathedral of Upsala is justly celebrated. It is the 700 SWEDEN AND THE SWEDES. largest and most imposing cliui'cli edilice in Sweden. In the interior, it is three hundred and lifty-nine feet long, one hundred and three to one hundred and thirty-six feet broad, and ninety feet high. Oiitside, it is one hundred and thirteen feet to the top of the roof, and the new Gothic spires rise to a height of about three hundred and ninety feet. At the time of our visit, it was being thoroughly restored at a cost of one million crowns. Covered by stagings with- THE UPSALA CATHEDRAL (Before Restoration). out and tilled with stagings within, it was not a favorable opportunity for seeing the structure. Yet we entered, admired the lofty nave, looked up to the three golden crowns in the vaulted ceiling, where the ogives meet, under which the Swedish monarchs were crowned down to Qaeen Ulrika Eleonora, the sister of Charles XII., and saw the silver sarcophagus of King Erik IX., the XDatron saint of Sweden. We afterward drank at St. Erik's fountain, which lies outside the church, a stone" s-throw to the north, and thought of the saga which tells us that this fountain UPS ALA. 701 welled up from the dead King's blood on the very spot where he was killed in 1160. But most interesting of all in the great cathedral is the burial chapel of Gustavus Yasa, back of the choir. Here lies the first great Vasa. His great descend- ants, Gustavus Adolphus and Charles XII., repose in Ridderholm's kyrka at Stockholm, beneath a forest of banners and trophies they took in battle. These are the three lions of the IN'ortli, the three heroes that made Swe- den mighty and glorious, and to their shrines all come with uncovered head and reverent heart. A drive of three miles and a half over the plain, on a dusty, shadeless road, brought us to Gamla Upsala. It was with a feeling of awe and veneration we ap- proached this last and strongest bulwark of heathendom in Sweden. Before us rose the mounds of Odin, Tlior, and Frey — vast, grim, and silent, like the pyramids of Egypt — while all around, on the hill-slope and over the fields, were scat- tered the lesser tumuli of the grand old pagans of the Worth. The three chief barrows have, from time immemorial, been called Kungs Hogar— Kings' Mounds— the names Odin, Thor, and Frey have been given them in more modern times. They are fifty-eight feet high, two hundred and twenty-five feet in diameter, and stand near each other in a line running nearly northeast and southwest — the barrow of Odin being the northernmost and largest of the three. The mounds of Odin and Frey have been thoroughly explored. Near the center of each was found the charred bones of the old king that, ages ago, was buried here, mingled with fragments of go'd and bronze ornaments, glass vessels, and the bones of horses, dogs, and other ani- mals, all burnt on the same grand funeral pyre; for the Northern chieftain must be fittingly attended on his way to the unseen land, and, mounted on his war-horse, ride right gallantly through the wide portal of Valhalla. A little beyond the pyramid of Odin, toward the north- (703) UPSALA. 703 east, and in line witli it and the other mounds, is the Tings hog. It is lower than the others, being only thirty-nine feet high. In form, it resembles a truncated cone, and has a large flat area on top. This is the ancient hill of assize, where, of old, tlie great open-air parliament of the Swedish race was held, and where, in historic times, the Swedish kings, down to Ctus- tavus Vasa, were wont to address the populace. * Close to the mounds, to the northwest, stands an old Christian church, of rude architecture and built of rough stone, with little worth seeing within, except an ancient oft"er-box, hollowed out of a large oak log some five feet long, and bound with many rough iron straps. On the spot now occupied by this humble church, once stood the vast and resplendent temple to the old gods. Here was the metropole of pagan culture of the Swedish people; the very heart and core of the stalwart religion of All-Father Odin, and mighty Thor, and Frey, the beloved, the belief of the Eddas— the faith that fired the hear is and nerved the arms of the vikings. This heathen temi^le was still standing, and heathen priests still ofi'ered to heathen gods down to the latter part of the eleventh century. Of the temple and its worship, we fortunately have the testimony of a contemporary chronicler, Adam of Bremen, who wrote about the year 1070. He says: " In this sacred house, which everywhere is adorned with gold, the people worship the images of three gods, and this so that Thor, * It is an interesting fact that an open-air parliament is still lield on the Isle of Man. This parliament meets on a mound called Tyndwald Hill. The Lieutenant-Governor of the island, representing the Queen, sits on top of the hill, and the parliament, which is called the House of Keys, on the sides. Every bill that becomes law must be read in both English and Manx lan- guages on Tyndwald Hill. The Isle of Man was taken by the Northmen in the latter part of the ninth century, and held by them for over three hundred and fifty years. They founded the House of Keys, which still meets on the ancient mound beneath the open sUy, though all such assemblies have long since ceased to exist in Scandinavia. It is said that the Manx House of Keys is the only open-air parliament at the present day in the world. 704 SWEDEN" AND THE SWEDES . who is the mightiest of them, occui^ies the seat of honor in the middle, while Odin and Frej' have their places on each side of him." * * * * -s " When pest or famine is at hand, they offer to Thor's image; when it is war, to Odin; at wedding celebrations, to Frej'." A nearly contemi^oraneous account relates that there stood "near the temple a majestic tree with wide-spread- ing branches, ever green, both winter and summer; but of what kind it is, no man knows. There is also a spring, where the lieathen make offerings, and into which they are OFFER-BOX accustomed to cast a living human being, more, the people's wish is fulfilled." If he is seen no There is also a tradition that a gold chain was hung round about the pinnacles of the temple. Adam also relates that near the temple stood a grove in which the bodies of victims, human beings as well as beasts, were hung up, " and this grove is so sacred in the eyes of the heathen, that every tree in it is held to be divine, on account of the death or blood of those offered there." At this sanctuary three great feasts were celebrated every year. One was in midwinter; this was Jul — Yule — the grandest festival of the Northmen. Then offerings were made for a prosperous year, and by the side of the Jul-boar, always roasted whole, solemn vows were made for mighty deeds during the coming season. The second feast was held at the beginning of summer; UPSALA. 705 this was called " Segeroftret, ' " because oflerings were then made for victory in the summer's viking forays. The third took place in the autumn, and was a thanks- giving for bountiful harvests.* September 4, 1889, Old Upsala saw a memorable sight. On that day the Oriental Congress, theu sitting at Stock- holm, paid a visit to this Mecca of the North. There were some four hundred of us, and we were accompanied by thousands of Stockholmers and Swedes of the vicinity. As we approached the mounds of the kings, we saw swelling up over Odin's height a sea of white caps, not of ocean, but of a thousand Upsala students, who, with open ranks, covered the venerable mound. The flags of their nations waved above them, and over all, from the toi) of the pyra- mid, floated out the beautiful banner of the student corps. We Orientalists marched up the mound into an open space in the students' lines. Among our numbers were dis- tinguished men-of -letters from Europe, America, Asia, Africa, and the isles of the sea. Egyptian and Persian, Turk and Arab, Buddhist and Mahomeclan, Christian and fire-worshiper, all were here. And as standing on Odin's mound, surrounded by living walls of the flower of Swedish youth, and looking out over the ancient Fyris plain, we drank out of the royal drinking- horn, in the sj^icy mead, a skal to All-Fatlier Odin and the gods of Yalhalla, it impressed itself on many a one that this historic spot, on which ' ' the wise men of the East ' ' and of the West met together to do homage to the traditions of the North, might indeed have been the cradle of the Aryan race — the old home of that mighty people Avhose different branches have for so many centuries ruled the world. * It would seem, then, that our New England Thanksgiving is, after all, only a revival of thi.s autumn feast of our Scandinavian ancestors. Our Christmas, or Yule, is absolutely nothing but the Christianized Jul, and it seems probable that our May-day is but a survival of the old Northern spring festival. 45 CHAPTER IT. POPULATION, PRODUCTS, 1 NDUSTRIES, AND TRADE. fHE ijopiilation of Sweden is almost exclusively of ^ Piii'e Scandinavian stock. Probably no other civil- ■/££»' ized country is inhabited by so unmixed a race. ^' True, there are settled in the kingdom 19,000 Finns, 6,400 Lapps, and some 3,000 Jews; but these and what few others there may be of foreign blood all put together form only a little more than half of one per cent, of the people. Notwithstanding a cold climate, hard soil, and large emigration, the population of the country steadily increases. On December 31, 1800, Sweden numbered 2,347,303 inhab- itants. On December 31, 1889, the population had in- creased to 4,774,409, having more than doubled during the eighty-nine years of the present century. During the last twenty-five years, the emigration of Swedes, chiefly to America, has been very large. American statistics show that, in the decade 1880-1889, Sweden con- tributed to the United States over 400,000 of her peojale, nearly one per cent, a year; yet, during the same ten years, she increased, in round numbers, 200,000 souls. And this total of 600,000, for the decade just ended, is all the natural increase of the race; for the entire immigration from all the outside world into Sweden is small, and does not equal the emigration out of it to countries other than the United States. The number of Swedes dwelling in the country, on farms and in villages, is comparatively very great. At the close of 1889, there were 3,890,667 people living in the country, and only 883,742, or about eighteen and one-half percent, of the entire population, dwelling in all the cities. Of late (TOT) 708 SWEDEN AND THE SWEDES. years, however, the cities are growing at the expense of the country, and the desire for city life, that seems to have taken possession of all other nations, is slowly making itself felt even in good old-fashioned Sweden. There are but two large cities in the kingdom, and these stand liead and shoulders above all others — Stockholm with a population, in round numbers, of 250,000, and Gothenburg with 106,000, according to the census of 1890. No other city possesses 50,000 inhabitants. There is a noteworthy preponderance of the fair sex in Sweden. The statistics for 1889 show 143,669 more females than males; or, in other words, for every 1,000 of the sterner sex, there are to be found 1,062 of the gentler. And this disprox^ortion was even greater in former times. In the year 1750, the earliest for which such statistics are given, there wei'e 1,124 females to every 1,000 males; a greater disparitj^ than can be found in the records of any other land. The Swedes attribute this state of things to the continual foreign wars waged by Sweden during the seventeenth and earlier part of the eighteenth century, in which the gallant little kingdom gained great glory, but lost the flower of her sons. During the last quarter of a century, emigration has also contributed to keep up the inequality of the sexes; since, for every 842 females, there are 1,0()0 males, on the average, among the Swedish emi- grants. What a deplorable minority the men of Sweden would be in if woman's suffrage prevailed! Still, the case would not be hopeless. A careful analysis of the statistics shows that in another one hundred and forty years the men might aspire to reach a tie-vote. ' ' O Land ! Thou Land of a thousand seas ! " is sung of Finland; but Runeberg's noble verse is sung of Sweden, too, and with equal truth. Of the 170,700 geographical square miles Avhich form the total area of Sweden, no less than 14,000, or one-twelfth part of the surface of the country, are covered with lakes. Four of these— Venern, Vettern, Malaren, and Hjelmaren — POPULATION, PRODUCTS, INDUSTRIES, AND TRADE. 709 are great inland seas, navigated by an extensive commerce. The largest lake, Venern, is the third in Europe and covers 2,150 square miles. And Sweden is not only a land of lakes, it is preemi- nently a land of forest. The entire surface of the country, exclusive of lakes, is, in round numbers, 156,700 square miles in extent. Of this, no less than 69,000 square miles is cov- ered with woods; giving a forest area equal to forty-four per cent, of the entire dry-land surface. An additional area of 68, 000 square miles, or nearly forty- four per cent, more, is not susceptible of cultivation, consist- ing of fjeld, rock, extensive morasses, fens, and swamps. Thus, nearly eighty-eight per cent, of the dry land of Sweden is to-day forest, fjeld, or fen. Indeed, exact statistics show that only eight per cent, of the vast, forest-covered, rock- bound surface of Sweden has been brought under culti- vation. Bearing in mind this fact and one other — that the entire country is so far north that all farming is impossible within the same parallels on the Atlantic coast of America — it is surely astonishing to learn that the great dominating pur- suit of the Swedes is agriculture. Not only this, but the agricultural products of Sweden are sufficient for the sup- port of her own people, and, furthermore, leave a surplus for export in ordinary years. The grain and pod crops of Sweden for this year, 1890, are alone estimated to be worth no less than $76,400,000, and the potato-crop $15,400,000 additional. And it should be stated that this potato-crop is much below the average, being valued $5,400,000 less than that of 1889. More than half the land seeded with grain is given up to oats, and oats now form more than one-half in bulk of the grain-crop. Rye and barley are next in importance, and only a comparatively small amount of wheat is raised. Although only about one-fifth of the harvest consists of rye, it is yet the chief staple for food. The Swedes, however, find it more advantageous to raise oats. These they export in large quantities, chiefly to 710 SWEDEN" AND THE SWEDES. England., and import rye, principally from Russia, profiting by the exchange. The average yearly exj)ort of oats for the last five years is, in round, numbers, 200,000 tons, and the import of rye 150,000 tons. In like manner, Sweden makes an exchange for her own benefit in the article of i^ork; sending her young swine to the English market where they command a liigh price, and importing the more nourishing American i^ork, chiefly dry- salted sides, in large quantities, and at much cheaper rates. In the olden time, the kingdom always produced suffi- cient cereals for her own people. The great wars of con- quest, however, which Sweden carried on for generations, so drained the country of tillers of the soil that, about the year 1650, Sweden became a grain-importing country. This condition continued for one hundred and seventy years, or down to 1820, when Sweden again raised sufficient for her own consumxation. In 1840, with more attention jiaid to farming, and the application of improved methods, the kingdom began to produce a surplus for export. Sweden then continued a grain-exporting land till 1880, a period of forty years. But, since that year, the statistics show a sur- plus of imports over exports in the grain trade. This, however, does not prove a shrinkage in agricult- ural products — the reverse is in fact the case — it simply tends to show the change that has taken place in farming. The Swedes, of late years, have turned their attention more to dairying and to raising cattle and horses, for which branches of agriculture Sweden is peculiarly adapted from the excellent quality of grass in her fields and pastures. In 1889, Sweden exported butter to the value of nearly $7,500,000; live animals — chiefiy cattle, horses, sheep, and swine— worth $2,000,000; pork worth $1,200,000; besides beef, eggs, and cheese valued at $160,000. Making a total export of nearly $11,500,000 in animals and their products. So that although Sweden is to-day, and seems likely to continue to be, a grain-importing country, yet, taking the products of agriculture as a whole, she raises sufficient for the maintenance of her own people and has a surplus for POPULATION, PRODUCTS, INDUSTRIES, AND TRADE. 711 export. Besides the products of agriculture, Sweden ex- ported, in 1889, fish— fresli and salt— to the value of $4 500 - 000. Although Sweden has put only eight per cent, of her ter- ritory under the plow, as we have seen, yet this small per- centage reduced to acres gives us a very respectable iigure. Sweden possesses 8,027,000 acres of cultivated land. In addition to this, the country is exceptionally rich in natural meadows, the total area of which is estimated at not less than 4,329,000 acres, or four and three-tenths per cent, of the entire land surface. But over and above all else is this vital fact, that nature, as if to compensate for the hard soil and Arctic position of the Scandinavian Peninsula, has granted it a climate softer and milder than she has given any other Northern land, and rendered agriculture possible up to, and even far beyond, the Arctic Circle. On the west, or Norwegian coast of the peninsula, where the effects of the Gulf Stream are most felt, rye ripens up to 69° North latitiide, and both barley and oats up to 70°. In those high latitudes, it has been noticed that barley is ready for the sickle in ninety days after sowing ^ the exact time required in the south of France. Doubtless, the con- tinuous light, night as well as day, helps to ripen the grain, and it is also said to give it a greater percentage of starch. Small farms are the rule in Sweden, and the Swedish peasant generally owns the soil he tills. This ownership naturally begets contentment, and is largely the reason why such avast majority of the population is still satisfied with a country life, and that Sweden is still fortunate in the possession of "a bold peasantry, their country's pride." Of the entire arable land of Sweden, sixty-six per cent. is divided into farms whose cultivated area is between five and fifty acres each; and twenty-three per cent, into little homesteads where the farmer tills less than five acres. The number of farms where between fifty and two hundred and fifty acres are put under the plow comprise only about ten per cent., and great estates of more than two hundred and 712 SWEDEN AND THE SWEDES. fifty acres of tillage onlj^ one i^er cent, of the cultivated area of the kingdom. Next, after agriculture, the two great products of Sweden are wood and iron. These are her two chief exports as we]], and it is with wood and iron that Sweden chiefly pur- chases whatever she needs or wishes of the necessities and luxuries of the great world beyond the fjords. And surely a nation may be accounted fortunate that possesses an abundance of these two great staples; they will always be in demand, for they are two of the prime necessities of civ- ilized life. Of these two grand exports, wood ranks easily first. Tlie vast Swedish Norrland, and the great central portion of the country also, is still covered for the most part with a great black forest, consisting largely of pine and spruce. The general trend of the Scandinavian Peninsula, as it stretches away toward the Pole, is north-northeast. The lofty fjeld plateau which lies along the boundary between Sweden and Norway, and whicli is hap]3ily called Kolen — the keel, the maritime Scandinavians likening their country to a boat turned bottom up — has the same north- northeast direction. From this liigh fjeld, and often not far from, though high above, the Atlantic Ocean, rise numerous rivers, which — flowing in a southeasterly course down the gradual incline of the peninsula and at right angles with its longest axis, broadening frequently into long lakes, which once were fjords of the sea, and anon plunging in forces down the rocky barriers between — at last fall into the Gulf of Bothnia. Among these rivers are the Tornea, Kalixelf, Lulea, Pitea, Skelleftea, Umea, Angermanelf, Indalself, Ljusneelf, Ljungan, and Dalelf . Tliey all lie to the north of Stockholm and nearly all in Norrland. Upon this enormous water-shed stand the cliief timber forests. Along all these rivers and many smaller ones and their tributaries are carried on extensive lumbering opera- tions. Every fall, the Swedish lumbermen go into the woods just as our lumbermen in Maine, Michigan, or o -n O o (713) 714 SWEDEN AND THE SWEDES. Minnesota. They fell the trees, haul the logs to the banks of river or brook all winter long, and in the spring drive the logs down the streams to the mills near the gulf. At the mouth of most rivers is a town, which usually takes its name, as it does its business and i^rosperitj', from the river. Here are large saw-mills, with both steam and Avater power; some of them built of stone, brick, and iron, equal, in both buildings and machinery, to any lumber-mills in the world. Here the logs are sawed, principally into deals, battens, and boards, which are piled up in lofty squares that almost conceal the town as you approach from seaward. And here is a lively commerce, summer and fall, all along the Bothnian Gulf. Ships, both steam and sail, lie thickly along the quays, taking on board the lumber, which they carry away to England, where it competes largely with lum- ber from oar Northern States and Canada; to France, Den- mark, and Germany; to Holland, Belgium, and Portugal, and also to Brazil, Cape of Good Hope, and remote Aus- tralia. Thirty years ago, many a stately American ship, clip- per built and lofty sparred, sailed up the Baltic and took part in this trade. But our flag has disappeared from the Baltic now. May the time not be distant when it shall wave again both here and on every sea! South of Stockholm, lumber operations are conducted on both the east and west coast, and there is a noteworthy export from Gothenburg, most of which comes from the grand Klarelf, which flows into Lake Venern. But the great bulk of lumber is cut and sawed in Noriiand, and eighty-five per cent, of Sweden's lumber export comes from north of her capital city. The vast Bothnian lumbering district extends from the head of the gulf down to the port of Gefle. This cit3' lies north of the 60th parallel, and a glance at the map will show that eighty-five per cent, of Swedish lumber is cut and shipped from jjlaces north of the latitude of CajDe Fare- well, Greenland. Tiie lumber trade has been pursued upon the Scandina- vian Peninsula for centuries. Timber was exported from POPULATION", PRODUCTS, INDUSTRIES, AND TRADE. 71fi Sweden during the reign of Gnstavus Vasa, at least as early as 1546, and Milton in his immortal poem speaks of " — the tallest pine Hewn on Norwegian hills, to he the mast Of some great ammiral." In 1639, the far-seeing Swedish Chancellor Oxenstjerna called the Swedish forests ' ' the most i^recious gems of the realm.'' But it is only within the present century, and in fact within the last tliirtj' years, tliat the Swedish timber trade has assumed anything like its j)resent importance. Strangely enough, there are no statistics of the lumber product of Sweden, except for the crown forests. Statistics of the lumber exported, however, are easily obtained, and these show that this trade has reached colossal proportions. The average export of unmanufactured lumber from Sweden for the live years, 1881-85, reached the magnifi- cent sum of .t>25,864,000 annually, and formed about forty per cent, in value of the total exj)orts of the kingdom. Sweden' s lumber export consists cliietly of sawed stuff, four-fifths being deals, battens, and boards; the remainder is principally squared timber, usually hewed; spruce logs, used for piling in Holland, yards and booms in England, and masts of fishing-craft in Scotland and France; and pit- props — short, small logs three to seven inches in diameter and three to nine feet long— used for propping up the rock strata of coal-mines in England. Sweden also exports manufactures of wood to an annual value of about $4,500,000. The production of wood-pulp has increased very rapidly in Sweden of late years. It is made chiefly from spruce, and that manufactured by the sulphate process is highly esteemed and meets with a ready sale. The greater portion of the wood-pulp is consumed at home. Yet, in 1885, 16,000 tons were exported; and, in 1889, the export had increased to more than 52,000 tons. The greater part goes to England, Denmark, and the United States. 71 G SWEDEN AND THE SWEDES. The Swedish lumber is of excellent quality. The trees growing so far north increase but a trifle each year. The annual rings are consequently very narrow and compact, and this gives the wood a fine grain. But this fact also renders it a long process for the Swedish forests, when once cut over, to reproduce themselves. How long the present rate of cutting can continue is a question of grave importance, not only to Sweden, but to the countries to which she sends her lumber, and also to the United States and Canada, whose own lumber meets, in the Swedish product, its greatest competitor in the markets of the world. The opinion very generally obtains that the amount of lumber now cut largely exceeds the growth of the forests, and must, at no distant day, result in a diminishing annual harvest of Sweden' s greatest export. In forming this opinion, however, I think there is one important factor that has not been sufficiently taken into consideration — the crown forests. More than one-sixth of the entire wooded area of Sweden, or 8,160,000 acres, belongs to the crown. This is valued at $13,588,000 — about a dollar and a half an acre — and, in 1888, yielded a net income of $335,000. These royal timber preserves are managed with scrupu- lous care. All Sweden is divided into forest districts, and these in turn into revir. Each district is under the super- vision of a chief forest-inspector, and each revir is guarded by a forest-ranger and a number of under-keepers. These not only keep strict watch against trespassers, but, even as the royal officers of England ranged the Maine woods, jDrior to our revolution, and marked Avith "the broad arrow" the lofty pines that should be cut as masts for the navies of Old England, so now the Swedish keepers go through the Swedish crown woods and mark every tree they deem ripe for tlie ax, and these trees thus marked, and only these, are permitted to be felled. The crown forests are managed, in fact, on the principle that the increase alone may be cut, and that the forest POPULATION, PRODUCTS, INDUSTRIES, AND TRADE. 717 itself— the capital stock, so to speak— shall stand forever on all crown lands unsuitable for cultivation. Further- more, the Government has entered upon an extensive and practical system of planting forests upon desolate and uncultivatable areas. These excellent official measures have also had a marked effect upon the owners of the private forests, especiallj- upon the larger proprietors, many of whom are now man- aging their timber-lands as permanent sources of income. It is my judgment, therefore, that the vast forests of Sweden will be preserved and maintained substantially as they stand to-day; and that Sweden's lumber export— her greatest source of income— will be kejit up and kept good throughout an indefinite future. The second grand export of Sweden is iron. Swedish iron is celebrated the world over. No better has ever been produced. It is soft, ductile, and tough, and possesses great pliability and tensile strength. For centuries, Swedish iron has furnished the civilized world with the raw material for the best tools and weapons, the most elastic springs, the finest drawn wire, and the most pliant nails for riveting and clinching. Thirty years ago, it was said there was not a horseshoe- nail driven in the United States that was not made of Swedish iron. The saying Avas true at the time, though to-day the discovery of better ores in America and the application of improved methods of smelting have enabled us to replace to some extent the Swedish iron with our own. It is wonderful how the cold Swedish iron can be bent, and coiled, and twisted without breaking. I think everyone who visited our great World's Exposition at Philadelphia, in 1876, will recollect not only the Swedish school-house, and the life-like groups of statuary representing Swedish peasants, but also the tall stands of Swedish iron-bars, and how they were twisted and tied in bow-knots, and bent into serpent's coils, and contorted into every conceivable shape without a break appearing. I have heard of a Swedish steamship that, in the fog, ran full speed into an upright 718 SWEDEN AND THE SWEDES. rock cliff. The bow was turned round and round into a spiral, by the shock; but not a plate of Swedish iron Avas broken or cracked, the ship recoiled without a leak and went on her way rejoicing. The excellence of the Swedish iron depends partly upon the fineness of the ore — most of it being free from both phosphorus and sulxjhur — and partly uj)on the superior manner of smelting. All Swedish iron is smelted with charcoal, which is comparatively cheap, as the forests grow upon the iron-beds. The supply of iron-ore in Sweden is practically inex- haustible. It is found all over the country. It not only occurs in thick strata in the rock, but forms a large part of the bulk of great mountains in various portions of the kingdom. The largest of these iron mountains is Gfellivara, situated in the Swedish Lapland, beyond the Arctic Circle. The ore occurs here chiefly in four gigantic strata, and covers so large an area that it is estimated if only one meter — three feet, three iiiches — in depth is taken out a year, the yield would be 943,600 tons, nearly equal to the amount now produced b}- all the mines in SAveden. This Gellivara ore is also very rich, containing no less than seventy per cent, of iron. Much of it, however, con- tains apatite, and in such large quantities that the question of turning to account the phosphoric acid held in this min- eral is seriously entertained. A railroad has just been built, and is being put in running order, from Lulea— near the head of the Gulf of Bothnia — to the iron deposits of Gellivara. The distance from the gulf to the mountain, by rail, is one hundred and ninety kilometers, and it is anticipated that a large shipment of ore will soon take place both to England and Germany. At the present time, iron is chiefly mined in Central Sweden, eighty-seven per cent, of the ore being broken in the four provinces of Orebro, Kopparberg, Vestmanland, and Vermland, which lie together, forming one compact area just north of the four great Swedish lakes. POPULATION, PKODUCTS, INDUSTRIES, AND TRADE. 719 The best iron of all, however, is found a little to the eastward of this area. It comes from the celebrated Dannemora mines in the adjoining i^rovince of Upsala, where the old Walloon refining process is still exclusively employed and is tenaciously adhered to, chiefly as a guar- anty to the buyer that the iron really is from Dannemora. The number of iron-mines in Sweden is extraordinary. In 1889, no less than 393 Avere worked; employing 6,278 laborers, and producing 983,609 tons of ore. Most of the ore was smelted within the kingdom, only 118,573 tons having been exported. The same year there were 150 blast furnaces in operation. Here the ore was smelted, producing 416,043 tons of pig- iron, together with 4,622 tons of castings, which were run directh' from the furnaces. From these pigs were refined 226,000 tons blooms, and 136,000 tons iron and steel ingots; the latter by either the Bessemer or Martin process. From these blooms and ingots, in turn, there were ham- mered out, 01- rolled, 275,000 tons of bar-iron; 2,000 ton« of steel were also manufactured by the old methods; and there were produced, in addition, 74,000 tons of plates, nails, rails, and other articles. A small amount of blooms and ingots is exported with- out fui'ther refining. In the various iron-works of the country, there were employed, in 1889, no less than 23,051 laborers. Of bar-iron alone, there were exi^orted, in the same year, over 200,000 tons; and the value of unmanufactured metals — almost exclusively iron — exported from Sweden at the present time reaches, in round numbers, §9,000,000 annually. But Sweden is not content with producing the rougher forms of iron alone. She builds excellent iron steamships of the finest quality. There are several iron ship-building works in different parts of the kingdom, but the largest is located at Motala on the Gota Canal. These works have also a branch at Lindholmen in Gothenburg. 720 SWEDEN AXD THE SWEDES. Nearly all the steamboats pljang on Swedish waters are built within the kingdom, and Sweden also sells steam- ships to other countries, notably to Russia, Finland, Ger- many, and South America. The Swedes excel chiefly in building ships of medium and small size, and I tliink nowhere in the world are pro- duced such light, graceful, swift, and serviceable steam- launches as are turned out in Sweden, and you see plying everywhere round about Stockholm, Gothenburg, and other Swedish cities. The Swedes have also become very skillful in the manu- facture of cutlery. The town of Eskilstuna, lying not far from the western end of tlie Malar Lake, is now widely known, and deservedly, too, as "the Sheffield of Sweden." Hei'e are situated a dozen or more factories, which turn out the finest cutlery and tools. Eskilstuna razors, penknives, and scissors are well known and highly prized in almost every country on the globe. And I must not forget the " Separator," an invention of Doctor de Laval, of Stockholm, for separating cream from milk. This machine has, in truth, revolutionized dairying. Sep)arators are manufactured in Stockholm and exported to the ends of the earth. Among the many other manufactures of Sweden, I think none are more famous than her matches. The ex^jort of Swedish matches in some years reaches 15,000 tons, and the}' are, literally, distributed broadcast over the whole world. Sweden has her great poets and orators, who have spoken winged words, but no i^hrase of her beautiful language has been so widely spread abroad, none is so univei'sally read and ubiquitously known, as the inscription on the neat little boxes of Jonkoping's matches: SAKEEHETS-TAIvrDSTICKOE uian svafvel och fosfor Tdnda, endast inut Iddans plan. Of the remaining exports of Sweden may be mentioned: Paper and the manufactures thereof, tar, granite for POPULATION, PRODUCTS, INDUSTRIES, AND TRADE. 721 building purposes and paving-stones, calf-skins and the hides of reindeer. All togetliei', the exports of the year 1889 were valued, in round numbers, at $81,000,000. The total imports for the same year amounted to $101,- 000,000, giving a total trade of $182,000,000, with an appar- ent adverse balance of $20,000,000. The imports of Sweden consist chiefly of grain — largely rye, wheat, and maize — cotton and cotton goods, spirits, wines, herring, hides and skins, coffee, machines, mineral oils (petroleum), sugar, coal, tobacco, wool and woolen goods. Nearly one-half of the exports of Sweden go to Great Britain, the bulk of the remaining half to France, Den- mark, Germany, Belgium, Holland, Norway, Spain, and Finland; these countries standing in relative importance in the order named. The direct export to other countries is comparatively small. But Great Britain does not consume all of the jjroducts she receives from Sweden. A great portion is transhipped and forwarded to other nations. England thus stands as a middle-man or distributer of Swedish goods, and no doubt understands well how to make a judicious profit out of the situation. 46 (W2) CHAPTER LII, S WED E X' S (' M ME R (' E ]Y 1 T H TEE VXITED ST A TES. an American reader, the tiade of Sweden with the United States will, no doubt, be the most interest- ing chapter of Swedish commerce. ^^ This trade has been for many years of respect- able proportions, but it is a difficult matter to obtain any definite information of its volume or value. The American statistics, to which I have had access, give the total of our imports and exports to Sweden and Norway together in one lump, and it is, of course, impossible to dis- tinguish Sweden" s part therein. Furthermore, our figures do not embrace one-third part of the American products which are annually imported into the Scandinavian Peninsula. The Swedish official statistics give but two articles of any importance as exported from Sweden to the United States — iron and wood-pulj:), and the total value of this export, in 1889, is estimated at only $348,000. Of course, it is evident to anyone at all familiar with the Swedish-Amer- ican trade that these figures represent but a fraction of Sweden's exf)ort to the United States. The explanation is that the Swedish statistics credit to each foreign country those goods, and only those, that are exioorted diredly to that country. Thus, if a steamer sail from Sweden for England, all goods on board are accounted for in the statistics as exports to England, when, perhaps, the ultimate destination of a large part of the cargo may be the United States, or some other land. The same is true of imports. If a ship arrive in a Swedish port from Germany, for instance, all the cargo C733) 724 SWEDEN AND THE SWEDES. discharged is written down as imx)orted from Germany, althougli it may consist in large part of cotton, pork, or sole-leather from America. The Swedish statistics of the American trade therefore embrace only those goods passing between the two countries in ships sailing directly from one to the other. But the great bulk of the merchandise exchanged be- tween us is shipped on steamers of established lines that sail to England, Germany, or Denmark, where it is tran- shipped in transitu; and it is these countries, and not the United States, that are credited with by far the greater por- tion of our trade. There is, fortunately, one way of obtaining accurate data upon Sweden's exports to America, and that is from the invoices sworn to before American consuls in Sweden. For these invoices embrace all goods sent from Sweden to the United States indirectly as well as directly, where the value of the shipment exceeds one hundred dollars. By the politeness of our consuls, I have been furnished with this data, which I have endeavored to compile into readable form. The great dominating export of Sweden to the United States is iron. This one great staple forms now, as it has for many years, three-fourths in value of Sweden's entire export to our country. While the Swedish tables give the export of iron to the United States, for 1889, at only 4,521 tons, worth $131,000, the returns from the American consuls show that Sweden actually sent us no less than 64,389 tons, worth $2,142,472, in that year. That is to say, for every ton of iron shij^ped directly, there were thirteen tons forwarded us via other countries. This iron consisted chiefly of bar and rod iron, rivet- wire, nail-rods, and steel-castings, with smaller quantities of pig-iron, blooms, and ingots. As a lourchaser of Swedish iron, the United States stands second only to Great Britain; and, as for all other powers, we take more than three times the amount of any of them. Sweden's commerce witji the united states. 725 In the same year, 1889, Sweden also shipped to the United States 8,046 tons of wood-pulp, worth $284,061. This is used in making paper, and, of course, competes with the i)roduct of our own forests in our own markets. We furthermore bought of Sweden $85,277 worth of her matches for our smokers; separators to the value of $20,618 for our dairies, besides $22,683 worth of other machinery; keen-cutting knives and razors to the value of more than $7,000; calf -skins worth $6,000; and filtering-paper $2,000. We also received from Sweden more than $10,000 worth of Swedish books. These all find their way to our Swedish fellow-citizens and their children, who still cherish a love for Fatherland, its language and literature. Besides this, Sweden sent us smaller quantities of porce- lain and silver spoons for our tables; leather jackets for our sportsmen; herring and anchovies for Swedish smorgas- bord in the New World; and Swedish punch, whisky, and porter, to tickle the palate; and Swedish snuff, to tingle the nostrils of our Scandinavian immigrants with the old- time titillations that agreeably recall "Gamla Sverige." The total export of Sweden to the United States, for the year 1889, as gleaned from the consular records, was valued at $2,787,000. This sum is eight times greater than that given in the Swedish statistics, and proves that only one- eighth part of the goods Sweden sends us conies in ships that sail directly from Sweden, while seven-eighths of the entire Swedish export to the United States is transhipped en route in foreign ports. And even the consular figures do not give us the whole truth. For we must add to them all goods sent in ship- ments of less than $100 each; all books and merchandise sent by mail; as well as the vast amount of clothing, bed- ding, utensils, and other goods carried into America by 40,000 Swedish iminigrants. But it is of still greater importance for Americans to know what Sweden imports from the United States. Tak- ino- the same year, 1889, we find the Swedish official statistics give the total value of this import at $1,582,115. But 726 SWEDEN" AND THE SWEDES. Sweden's import from our country of either one of the three staples— cotton, petroleum, or sole-leather — was alone greater than this total, so much larger is the indirect than the direct trade. Sweden's importation of petroleum brings up an interest- ing question. When I first visited Sweden, more than twenty-five years ago, there was scarce a farmer' s or fisher- man' s cottage in the land that was not lighted, when the nights were dark, with American j)etroleum. Since then, the Russian mineral oil has been introduced into the coun- try and has entered into active competition with the American. Now, if there is any country in Eurojoe where the Russian oil could successfully compete with ours, it would seem to be Sweden, which lies alongside Russia, but is separated from the United States by the North Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. The Swedish market is worth striving for, too, for in no civilized country are the winter nights longer and the need of artihcial illumination greater than in Sweden and Norway. It is especially gratifying, therefore, to learn that to-day, after years of rivalry, the Russian oil has made so little inroad that at least ninety-four per cent, of the petroleum consumed in Sweden is the product of our country. Large quantities of American pork, wheat, and maize are also imjjorted into Sweden. American xaork has, in fact, become a necessity. It is in almost universal use among the Swedish laboring-classes of the northern and central provinces. They prefer it to the hog product of any other country, their own not excepted, and avIU not consent to any substitute. Throughout the vast Norrland forests, in every lumber- camp, American pork is as indispensable an article of diet as it is in Maine or Michigan. The Swedish peasants iise our pork largely in place of butter. Take a trip on anj^ steamboat in Sweden. Look down from the bridge ui^on the deck-passengers. At noon-time, you will see many a one lift up the lid of his wooden chest. Sweden's commerce with the united states. 727 take out a junk of white American ]3ork, draw a sheath- knife out of his belt, cut off a liberal slice, laj^ it carefully on a disk of dark rye bread, and on this, and this alone, make his frugal meal, washing it down, perhaps, with a pint of light beer. And Sweden's imports from America are not confined to the great staples. Any American who walks the streets of the Swedish cities and looks in at the shop-windows, who mingles with the peoijle, goes into their homes, and sees what they eat, drink, wear, and use, will be convinced that Sweden imports a great variety of American goods that are not credited to America in any published reports. I sent out one day for a lock for my door — "the best lock you can find," I told the messenger; and he obeyed my injunction to the letter, for he came back with a Yale lock made in Connecticut. At every stationer's, you find our handy Eagle lead- pencils. There is no town of importance in Sweden where canned lobsters packed by the Portland Packing Company are not sold, and its red-star brand is often seen upon the Swedish smorgasbord. A Stockholm merchant informed me that his firm imported canned lobsters from this one company to a value of more than |20,000 in a single year. American canned corned-beef is to be had everywhere in Sweden; and you will find in all grocery-stores in the cities a good assortment of American canned fruits and vege- tables—notably peaches, pears, apricots, cherries, plums, corn, and tomatoes. Considerable quantities of preserved fruits and vege- tables are consumed in Sweden. Most of them, however, are imported from France, and are higher priced than our own. A little push and pains would secure a largely increased market for this class of American goods in Scandinavia. You sometimes come upon American canned chicken, turkey, oysters, and prawns; and I must not forget Ameri- can honey and desiccated apples, and the high esteem in which they are held in Sweden. 728 SWEDEN AND THE SWEDES. Our corn-starch or maizena is a special favorite with the Swedes, and the same can be said of our breakfast cracked- oats and hominy. Tliere is an increasing importation of American flour into Sweden, and yon may see loads of it carted through the streets to the bakers' . It is contained in large brown bags, that hold as much as a barrel, usually stamped " Minnea]3olis." American cheese also linds its way to Sweden, although the import is now falling off, owing to the increasing manufacture of the Swedish product. Earljr in the "eighties," there was a large importation of American apples. Our red-cheeked Baldwins were pre- ferred, and ' ' Amerikanska Applen ' ' was printed on all the bills of fare at hotels and restaurants. I was pleased to see our American Baldwins again in the Stockholm mar- kets in the fall of 1890. There was once a considerable sale in Sweden for our sewing and agricultural machines; but the Swedes have now learned to manufacture such articles themselves, and to control their home-market. Twenty-five years ago, in many of the Swedish farmers' houses I entered, I found hanging on the wall an American clock, frequently embellished with an engraving of George Washington. At the present time, our small, round, nickel- plated clocks, with an alarm on top, may be seen standing in rows in the shop-windows, and are sold everywhere throughout the country. And, last of all, I must not forget the thousand and one little articles of daily need and use that come under the prolific head of " Yankee Notions." For all such, there is a good demand and ready sale in Sweden. In getting at the amount of Sweden's actual imports from the United States, I was greatly assisted by Dr. Hjalmar GuUberg, Actuary of the Royal Central Statistical Bureau. We made a special investigation of the Swedish official statistics, and, with the help of private information and the computations of Swedish importers, we have been able to Sweden's commerce with the united states. 729' extract with comparative accuracy the amounts of American goods imported into Sweden indirectly througli otlier coun- tries. To these amounts we have added Sweden's direct imports, and have thus arrived at tlie total import of Sweden from the United States. Of course, tliese figures are not, and, from tlie nature of tilings, can not be, exact; but I believe they are approxi- mately correct, and I am quite sure they are the only ones ever made public giving any adequate idea of the volume of our trade with Sweden. According to our computation, Sweden imxjorted, in 1889, the following amounts of our goods, estimated in dollars: Cotton, to the value of $1,794,647 Petroleum, to the value of 1,720, 25a Sole-leather, to the value of 1,246,867 Pork, to the value of 751,430 Wheat, to the value of 237,764 Maize, to the value of 231,441 Clocks and parts thereof, to the value of 74,998 Other articles, to the value of 1,998,068 Total $8,055,468 This total, it will be seen, is five times greater than the Swedish ofhcial figures, showing that four-fifths of Sweden's import from America is through foreign ports. It is also three times larger than our total export to both Sweden and Norway, according to American statistics, which would seem to show that the United States, like Sweden, takes into account only the direct export to each foreign land. Here, then, we have a grand commerce where Sweden's imports' from the United States amount, in round numbers, to $8,000,000, and her exports to $3,000,000 a year. This gives a total Swedish- American trade of $11,000,000 annually; one, too, which is greatly to our advantage, for our sales are nearly three times the amount of our purchases. Such is our trade to-day. A good showing, certainly, 730 SWEDKX AND THK SWEDES. for our commercial relations with this little coirntry so far away up toward the North Pole. But our trade is not what it ought to be, not what it might easily be made to be, for it lacks one grand factor — direct steam communication. Let us glance for a moment at the channels of trade and travel noAv existing between the two countries. The traveler from the United States to Sweden usually takes one of the great transatlantic steamers to Liverpool; thence, a few hours by rail carries him across country to Hull, on the east coast of England; embarking here, a voyage of two days takes him on over the stormy North Sea, past the windy SkaAv, on the northern sandy point of Denmark, and into the port of Gothenburg, Sweden. One may also leave America by the German or Belgian steam- ers, and, landing at Antwerp, Bremen, or Hamburg, keep on by rail and boat to Copenhagen, whence a steamer will ferry him across the sound to Malmo, Sweden, in less than two hours. Sonif^ ten years ago, the Danish Thingvalla Steamship Company embarked in the American trade. The steamers of this line ply once a fortnight between Copenhagen and New York; so that one may also sail from America to Copenhagen direct, and then, changing steamer, cross the ferry to Sweden. The great bulk of traffic between Sweden and America passes over the first of these routes, that is from Gothen- burg over the North Sea to Hull, thence across England by rail to Liverpool, and then on to America by an Atlantic steamship; in fact, five-sixths of the Swedish emigrants take this path. Now these are all good lines, and each one of them has its peculiar advantages; but they all have this one great disadvantage in common — that all goods taken by them from the United States to Sweden must be discharged and reloaded at a foreign port in transitu, with all the delays, breakages, damages, agencies, leakages, "rat- ages," ciistom- house supervision, and anaoyances which such transhipment Sweden's comjieece with the united states. 7:^1 is sure to occasion. Of course, the same is equally true of goods sent from Sweden to America; and, furthermore, all passengers and emigrants from either country to the other, together with their baggage, must be likewise transhipped. Yet, in spite of all these hindrances and inconveniences, the Swedish-American commerce has attained the goodly proportions we have enumerated. Proportions amply sufh- cient, it seems to me, to justify starting a line of direct steamships between the two countries. The subject is not new. It has been agitated in Sweden, to my personal knowledge, ever since 1863, and the experi- ment has been several times tried. It was first attempted in 1884. Two lines of direct steamers were started in the spring of that year from Sweden to the United States — one sailing from Gothenburg, the other from Stockholm, and touching at Malmo and Gothenburg. Subsequently, another line was started from Stettin, via Gothenburg, to New York, and other direct steamers have plied intermittently. But these lines have, one and all, after a brief struggle, ceased to exist, not so much from want of patronage, as because the rich and powerful transatlantic companies, in combination with the lines from Sweden to England and Germany, have either crowded out or bought up the new companies. To-day, there is no line of direct steamers between Sweden and America; yet $8,000,0(J0 worth of American goods are transported from the United States to Sweden annually, and, as for return cargoes, let us look a moment at only two of the exports of Sweden. Immigrants and iron — yes, blood and iron, in very truth, Sweden sends to us, and in what magnilicent amounts! 40,000 sons and daughters of her people, and 64,000 tons of her iron a year ! Divide them among a fortnightly line of steamers, and you have more than 1,500 immigrants, and nearly 2,5()0 tons of iron for every ship. rs2 SWEDEN AND THE SWEDES. Is not this trade, or any considerable portion thereof, a prize worth striving for ? And how admirably these two exports are adapted to and complement each other! The iron ballasts the immi- grant ship, the immigrants enjoy the great space the heavy iron leaves vacant. The attempts for direct sliiiDS have hitherto all been made from the European end of the route. Americans are now on the alert to increase the foreign market for our goods. We have determined, also, to restore our flag to its old-time supremacy on the seas. At this opportune moment, I desire to call the earnest attention of my countrymen to the subject of a direct line of American steamers from our country to Sweden. A grand commerce, already existing, invites our ships; and they will develop and increase this commerce to the benefit of both Sweden and the United States. CHAPTEK LIII, THE SWEDES IX AMERICA. LITTLE more than two Imndred and fifty years ago, there came sailing into Delaware Bay a Swedish '£^^ ship-of-Avar, the Kalmar Nyckel, accompanied by a -ssp^ smaller armed vessel, the Fogel Grip. Thes^ two ships had on board the first Swedish colony of America. It was in the early spring of the year 1638. For more than six months these colonists from Old Sweden had been tossed upon the ocean, and now so delighted were they with this K'ew World that they called the cape on which they first landed Paradise Point. The Swedes acquired, by fair purchase from the Indians, an ample domain on the west bank of Delaware Bay and River, stretching from Cape Henlopen to the falls near Trenton, embracing nearly the whole of the present State of Delaware, as well as a goodl}^ portion of Pennsylvania, and extending westward without bound or limit. The colo- nists immediately built a fortress, which they loyally named Fort Christina, after their youthful Queen; and they called their young State New Sweden, a name at once com- memorative of the i)ast and auspicious of the future. The Swedes found the climate pleasant, and the soil fertile. They built new settlements along the Delaware, and they received important accessions from the mother country. The earth returned to them its increase in bountiful measure, their flocks and herds multiplied, they lived in ]oeace and friend- ship with the red men, and in every way made a pros- perous beginning in colonial life. But a cloud hung over the infant State. The Dutch at New Netherlands saw with a jealous eye this young and thriving rival established on their borders, and by many (733) 784 SWEDEN AND THE SWEDES. methods sought to intimidate and drive away the Swedes. At last, in 1655, the Dutch suddenly api^eared in Delaware Bay with a force of six or seven hundred men and seven ships. Their coming took the Swedes by surprise. The trooiis of the enemy outnumbered their own four to one. Tile Dutch first took Fort Trinity and then Fort Christina, and with these fortresses all New Sweden fell under the sway of Holland. Yet this conquest did the Dutch but little good. Only nine years later the English cax^tured New Netherlands, and with it New Sweden; and the central portion of this continent passed forever under the dominion of the English-speaking race. New Sweden as a distinct political organization, under the Swedish flag, existed but for seventeen years. Yet, brief as was its life, this little colony occupies a memorable place ill American history, and has left a lasting impress upon this continent. Most of the Svi^edish colonists con- tinued to live on the banks of the Delaware, and their de- scendants have ever been, and are to-daj", among the most influential and honored citizens of the three States of Penn- sylvania, Delaware, and New Jersey. The man who, as member of the Continental Congress, gave the casting vote of Pennsylvania in favor of the Declaration of Indejiend- ence was a Swede of the old Delaware stock — John Morton. And when civil war burst upon the land, it was a descend- ant of New Sweden, the gallant General Robert Anderson, who, with but a handful of men, calmly and bravely met the first shock of the Rebellion at Fort Sumter. Surely love of freedom, and patriotism, and state-craft, and valor came over to America, not only in the Mayjloioer, but also in that Swedish ship the Kalmar Nyckel. And New Sweden will ever be illustrious from the prin- ciples of true humanity which distinguished its founding. The idea of New Sweden originated in the mind of Gus- tavus Adolphus, although it was not until after his death that the iilan was carried out by his great chancellor, Ox- enstjerna. It Avas the intention of the Swedish King that this colony should be an asylum for the oppressed of all ;*' ' ' '' 1 i iL ^^» .g^"^^^?^ ^^^^^t^M\M SKFP'.jj-;-" ' |>J8' ' LANDING OF THE SWEDES IN NORTH AMERICA. !735) 736 SWEDEN AND THE SWEDES. nations; a free State, where allslionld have equal rights, and enjoy to the fullest extent the fruits of their own labor. Slavery should never exist Avithin its borders, for, said Gus- tavus, "Slaves cost a great deal, labor with reluctance, and soon jjerish with hard usage." Wise words these! Had America adhered to this enlightened policy of the founder of New Sweden, we should have been spared our Civil War, with all its untold suifering and cost. Such humane principles were the rule of action within this little State. JSTot only this, but they were conspicu- ously carried out by the Swedes in their dealings with the Indians. The land was bought of its original possessors by honorable purchase. Trade between the white man and the red was fair and square. The Swede always kept his word with the Indian, and never abused nor cheated him. In return, the dusky children of the forest bestowed upon the fair-haired sons of the Northland their respect and love. They dwelt in peace and friendshiiD together, and no In- dian would ever raise his hand or his tomahawk against a Swede. William Penn arrived on this continent in 1682, forty- four years after the Swedes. He landed near the site of Fort Trinity, within the limits of New Sweden. It was the Swedish settlers and their children Avho received the good Quaker, welcomed him to the New World, and enter- tained him with kindness and hospitality. It was the Swedes also who acted as Penn's interpreters with the In- dians. How could it be otherwise than so keen an observer as Penn should learn from his hosts and interpreters their man- ner of dealing with the red man, and be impressed with its success « Precisely as the Swedes had done before him, Penn acquired land of the Indians by j)urchase, treated them kindly, and kept faith with them. Penn has been justly praised for his peaceful and humane policy toward the red men. I would not pluck a leaf from the laurels with which America has crowned the great Quaker. But "honor to whom honor is due." Impartial history records that the honor of originating this policy on this THE SWEDES IK AMERICA. 737 continent is due, not to AVilliani Penn, but to the Swedes of New Sweden. Penn, in a letter, mentions liis Idnd reception by tlie Swedes, and praises their indnstry and their respect for authority. He goes on to say: "As they are a people proper and strong of body, so they have fine children, and almost every house full; rare to find one of them without three or four boys, and as many girls; some six, seven, and eight sons. And I must do them right— I see few young men more sober and industrious." Verily, a keen observer was the good Quaker ! Strong, industrious lads, fine-looking girls, and houses full of children. These we all recognize as characteristic of tlie Swedish race. So numerous had the Swedes become, and so prosperous through their industry, that, in 1698, only sixteen years after Penn landed among them, they erected a tasteful church of stone, around whose walls the city of Wilming- ton has since grown up. This venerable house of God, known as the "old Swedes' church," is still standing, after the lapse of nearly two hundred years, close to the rocky promontory where the Swedish fathers landed at Fort Christina — a fitting monument to the New Sweden of Gus- tavus Adolphus. The French have a saying, "It is the first step that costs." This is true. It is the first step also which is memorable. The beginnings of things most excite our interest and admiration, and it is to the founders of emjiires that history assigns the first place. New Sweden will ever occupy a post of honor in the annals of this country, be- cause it was the first step in a Scandinavian immigration to America, alike grand in proportions and beneficentin results. How much influence New Sweden has had upon this immigration it is difficult to say; but surely the fact that there existed in America a colony of Swedes founded by Sweden's greatest King, must have had its effect upon Swedish thought and action. Yet throughout our entire colonial period, and indeed during the earlier decades of the Republic, Swedish immigration was insignificant. 47 (788) THE SWEDES IN AMERICA. 739 In the ten years from 1820 to 183(), the entire number of alien passengers arriving in the United States from both Sweden and Norway was but ninety-four— less than ten persons a year, from both countries. Since then, the num- ber of Scandinavians seeking homes in America has, with some finctuations, rapidly increased; but it was not till 1863— only twenty-seven years ago— that the emigration from Sweden began to pour in upon us with that mighty tide which constitutes one of the marvels in the movements of races of men upon this globe. In the decade beginning with 1863, the number of Swedes arriving in ports of the United States suddenly increased to more than 10,000, and then to more than 20,000, a year. In 1880 there came to us, in round numbers, 40,000 Swedes; in 1881, 50,000; and, in 1882, the Swedish immigration cul- minated with a grand total of 64,607 souls. Think of it! What a grand army of labor — more than 60,000 strong, more than a regiment a week — that, in the brief compass of a single year, sailed over the ocean to our shores, from old Sweden alone, to help subdue our forests, reclaim our wild lands, open our mines, build our cities and railroads, and in every way develop the vast resources of our own broad land ! In 1878, Sweden took her place as the third power in the world in the number of immigrants sent to our Repub- lic, and this position she has maintained up to the isresent time (1890), with the single excej)tion of 1887, when Italy exceeded Sweden by a few thousand. For twelve succes- sive years, save one, there have arrived among us more emi- grants from Sweden than from France, or Italy, or Austria, or Russia, or any other realm on earth, save only the Brit- ish Empire and Germany. For the ten years from 1880 to 1889 inclusive, Sweden sent us the magnificent total of 401,330 of her stalwart sons and fair daughters — an average of over 40,000 a year. When we reflect that the entire population of old Sweden has at no period reached 5, 000, - 000, the Swedish exodus to the United States during the last quarter of a century becomes phenomenal, even in the wonderful history of American immigration. 740 SWEDEN" AND THE SWEDES. Probably not less than 2,000,000 Swedes and tlieir de- scendants are now living in our country, and count them- selves Americans. In fact the day will soon come when the United States will contain more citizens of Swedish descent than Sweden herself; and we will be not only the newer, biit the greater Sweden, as we have already become the greater England. What States does this vast stream of Swedish emigrants enrich with its flood 'l It is an interesting fact that, with few exceptions — as the French in Canada — emigrants from Europe take up the same relative position in America they occupied on the continent of their V)irth. In fact there seem to be certain fixed isothermal lines between whose parallels the emigrants from the Old World are guided to their homes in the IS'ew. Thus the Germans from the cen- ter of Europe settle in Pennsylvania, Ohio, and our other Middle States; the French and Si^anish from Southern Euroxie and the shore of the Mediterranean make their homes in Louisiana, Florida, and all along the Gulf of Mexico; while the Scandinavians from the wooded N"orth fell the forests and build their log cabins throughout our entire northern range of States, from Maine to Oregon. Wherever in this broad land the Swedes fix their habita- tions, they are noted for their honesty and industry, their economy and thrift. Our Swedish settlers live within their means, buy no faster than they can pay, and do not run in debt. No other foreign race learn our language so quickly, or speak it so correctly and free from foreign accent, and none, I think, so speedily embrace our Amer- ican ideas, and become so thoroughly assimilated with us, and so completely Americanized. If you seek for the Swedes, you will scarcely find them in our jails or peniten- tiaries; you Avill meet them engaged in peaceful, industrial pursuits in our workshops and factories, or, most largely, in the backwoods and upon the prairies of the great West, where, by honest toil, they have converted millions of acres of Avild land into fertile farms and hapx^y homes. Our Swedish fellow-citizens do not try to subvert our THE SWEDES IN AMERICA. 741 institutions. There are no Swedish anarchists or dyna- mite bomb-throwers. Order-loving, as well as liberty-lov- ing, Gfod-fearing, and law-abiding, the Swede seeks to know the law of the land, not to break, but to keep it. And when rebellion threatened the nation's life, the Swedes were found lighting for freedom and union in this land of their adoption; yes, fighting as gallantly for the starry banner of America as their ancestors fought for the yellow cross of old Sweden. The men of Swedish stock who rendered illustrious service in oai' war are numbered bj^ thousands; among . them we recall such names as Admiral Dahlgren, General Robert Anderson, General IN'elson — shot in Kentucky — General Stohlbrand, General Yegesack, Colonel Hans Matt- son, and Colonel Elfwing. The Swede also brings with liim, from his old home, the fear of God, the reverence for the Bible, the respect for sacred things, and the strict oliservance of the Sabbath; and it is my belief that no immigrants of to-day, in both faith and works, so closely resemble the sturdy pilgrim fathers of Xew England as the Swedes. We Americans resiiect and esteem the emigrants that come to us from all Christian nations — from Ireland, from England and Scotland, from Germany and Italy, and Rus- sia and France, and those Scandinavians from Norwaj^ and Denmark who share in common with their cousins, the Swedes, many of the virtues I have enumerated. We wel- come all self-reliant, self-supporting Christian people to the magnificent battle of life on this vast new continent, where, with equal rights for all, honest labor meets its surest and best rewards. We welcome them all to share in our goodly heritage, where, as a Maine poet has said, they may have ' ' Equal voice in malting laws. Equal peers to try each cause, Peasant's homestead mean and small, Sacred as the monarch's hall." Yet let us never forget that there is no people to whom 742 SWEDEN AND THE SWEDES. we owe a warmer welcome, none that make better citizens of our great Republic, than the sons and daughters of Sweden. And I can not close this book without making special mention of one, who justly earned the x^roud title of "the great Swedish- American. " ' We of this generation can never forget the incidents of the great Rebellion, that Titanic contest that for four years raged over this continent. We can never forget our bright days of victory, we can never forget our dark and gloomy days of defeat and disaster, when everything that was dear and sacred to us, as a nation, seemed trembling in the bal- ance. Shall we ever forget one memorable morning when the rebel ram Merrimac steamed out of Norfolk harbor, and with her prow of iron came down u]3on our " Avooden walls" of defense, lying at anchor at Hampton Roads? How cruelly that monster iron-clad gored our brave shijDs to the deatli, while the shot from our cannon rattled off her coat of mail harmless as hail-stones ! How bravely went down the good ship Cuviberland, with the stars and stripes still floating from her mast-head, and with three hundred immortals on board, who fired the last broadside as the waters of the ocean poured into the muzzles of their guns ! Then what consternation ! as the tidings were flashed over the land: "The Merrimac has escaped. She has broken the blockade. She has sunk the bravest ships of our navy. We have nothing that can cope with her." Every maritime city in the North awaited with dread the appearance of this terrible destroyer in the ofBng. I recollect well how the news was received in Portland. How our citizens consulted together. How it was proposed to construct rafts of long lumber, and chain them across the entrance of our harbor, to save, if possible, our beauti- ful city by the sea from the shot and shell of this rebel monster. For a few short hours that rebel ram was "Mistress of the Seas." Then what I Before night-fall, a little nondescript craft comes steaming in from the ocean. " A Yankee cheese-box CAPT, JOHN ERICSSON ( 743 ) 744 SWEDEN" AND THE SWEDES. on a raft," it was called in derision. But she takes her place in front of our shattered ships, and, with the light of the coming da}^, steams straight for the Merrwiac. The big turret — " the cheese-box" — begins to revolve, the big guns are run out, and the big cannon-balls are hurled, one after the other, with crushing effect against the mailed sides of the Confederate cruiser. The contest was long; the tight was hard; but, at its close, this rebel ruler of the waves — crippled, disabled, defeated — was glad to crawl out of the fight, to roam the seas no more. Now, all this is as familiar to us as household words; but let Americans never foi'get that the inventive genius who planned, and built, and gave ns the J/bra/for^that apparently insigniticant means of defense — which, in that hour, under Grod, was the salvation of our navy, our block- ade, and our prestige on the seas — let us never forget, I say, that he, the inventor of the Monitor, was no American born, but the Swede, John Ericsson, the son of a Swedish miner, born and bred in a miner's hut in the backwoods of old Sweden. America will always owe a debt of gratitude to Sweden, if for nothing else, that she gave us Ericsson. And America has not been unmindful of this debt. On a l)right September evening, in the year 1890, there came steaming into the harbor of Stockholm a magnificent white man-of-war. The starry banner floated above her, and great cannon frowned from her decks. Was her errand peace or war !! It was peace; yes, peace and honor. Lying in state on board, borne over the ocean like a king, was the body of John Ericsson. Sunday, September 14th, 1890, at two o'clock in the after- noon, was a historic moment; then America delivered the remains of Ericsson to Sweden; then two nations united in honoring his memory. The scene on board the United States war-ship Balti- more was an impressive one. The cofiin of polished American oak, containing Ericsson' s body, had been taken i THE SWEDES IN AMERICA. 745 from tlie catafalque on wliicli it had rested during tlie voy- age, and was placed on deck, midsliij)s, close to the star- board rail. It was covered with the American and Swedish Hags. Around the coffin were grouped the officers of the Baltimore, the diplomatic and consular representatives of the United States at Stockholm, the members of our lega- tion at Copenhagen, relatives of the deceased, and officers representing the Swedish Government. All heads were uncovered. Behind us were drawai up a file of United States Marines, and beyond, the deck was covered with the sailors of the ship. Captain Schley then spoke in substance as follows : "On the 23d day of August, there was placed in my charge, in the harbor of New York, this coffin, containing the body of our far-famed friend and fellow-citizen, John Ericsson, with instructions to carry it to Sweden, and de- liver it to the American Minister at Stockholm. "To-day, I have the honor to report that my mission is fulfilled, as I now, Mr. Minister, consign to your hands this honored coffin." I then said : " In behalf of the United States of America, and as her representative to Sweden and Norway, I now receive the remains of John Ericsson, that I may deliver them to Sweden, esteeming it one of the highest privileges that can fall upon the Minister of any land, to stand on such an occasion as a link in the chain of sympathy, with which these events are binding more closely together two great and kindred peoples. "And I transfer these honored ashes Avith all reverence, for well I know how grandly the hand, that now lies cold and still within this casket, has wrought for America and for humanity. t^ ■ r, "At a critical moment in the history of the United States, John Ericsson, by the creation of his genius, ren- dered illustrious service to his adopted country, and saved her from great peril. And the Republic is not ungrateful. Lovingly as Agrippina bore home to Rome the ashes of Germanicus, so, tenderly and honorably, America brings back the body of Ericsson, that the land which was his cradle may also be his grave. " The body of Ericsson we restore to you, but Ins mem- 746 SWEDEN AXD THE SWEDES. ^ ory we sliall ever retain in sacred keeping; or, rather, we will share it with j^ou, and with the whole world. "And America is not unmindful that, in honoring Ericsson, she also honors the land that gave him birth — a gallant land, with which we have always lived in peace and friendship; a land that, in the long struggle for our inde- pendence, was among the tirst of the nations of the earth to recognize our new-born Republic; a land that has given us hundreds of thousands of our most respected citizens — chief among them all, John Ericsson, the great Swedish- American, whose sacred dust America now commits to the kindly keeping of his native Sweden." Rear Admiral Peyron, of the Swedish navj-, replied : " On behalf of the Royal Swedish Government, we have the honor to receive the remains of our illustrious com- patriot, the late Captain John Ericsson, which remains have, by order of the Government of the United States of America, been transferred in this ship to his native country, to be buried here. At the same time, we beg that you will kindly transmit our Government's sincere thanks to the Government of the United States for the feelings of sj'm- pathy for our country that have been shown through this act." The coffin was then swung out over the side of the ship, and lowered upon a small Swedish war- vessel lying along- side. At the same moment, the flag of the Baltimore was dropped to half-mast, the Marines presented arms, and the first of twenty-one minute-guns was fired from the Bal- timore. The King's flag was also raised to half-mast over the palace — an honor never before shown to any person not of royal blood. The Swedish vessel was handsomely draped in mourn- ing, and the coffin rested upon a catafalque on deck, sur- rounded with flowers and palms. Five boats, filled with American and Swedish officials and sailors, formed an escort to the funeral barge. Under guns from the Baltimore and the Swedish battery on Skeppsholmen, the solemn procession moved slowly up- stream. The day was perfect. A bright sun shone from a clear (74T) 748 SWEDEN AND TPIE SWEDES. sky, an exceptional snmmer warmth pervaded the northern air, and the light breeze was scarce snfficient to blow out the flags. Both banks of the stream were not only lined, but crowded and packed full, with a great multitude of people, larger than Stockholm ever saw before. The windows of every house were filled, roofs covered, and bel- fries, steeiDles, and masts of vessels bristled with humanity; while, over all, everywhere, from i^ublic and private build- ings and the shi^Dping in the harbor, flags drooped in mourning. At the quay, directly in front of the statue of Charles XII., there had been erected a stately x^avilion, whose cen- ter tower rose to a height of ninety feet. It was draped in mourning, and from its five turrets floated the flags of America and Sweden. Here the funeral flotilla laid to. The coffin was borne to land on the shoulders of eight Swedish sailors, and placed upon a catafalque beneath the central tower of the pavilion. Every head was uncovered and bowed as the body of Ericsson once more rested on Swedish soil, a band of music XDlayed a dirge, the guard of honor presented arms, and the bells rung out from every church tower in Stockholm. As the tones of the dirge died away, the deputies from many societies and associations came forward and placed wreaths and other floral emblems around the bier, until it was nearly covered with a mound of flowers. Next, a hymn was sung by the united choral societies of Stockholm, a poem was read by the Swedish poet Tiger- schiold, and then the tones of another hymn filled the air while the coffin was being removed from tlie catafalque to the hearse. The funeral procession was headed by a detachment of the Royal Horse Guards, mounted and with sabres drawn. The hearse was followed by two carriages heaped high with floral offerings. Next came the grand marshal of the kingdom, representing the King; the representative of the Crown Prince; the American diplomatic, naval, and consu- THE SWEDES IN AMERICA. 749 lar officers; and the relatives of tlie deceased, all in car- riages, followed by a long procession on foot, with, music and banners. Between great masses of i^eople, whose foremost ranks were comi^osed of societies drawn up in line with standards lowered, and bands of music, which plaj^ed a dirge as we passed, the procession moved across the square of Grustavus Adolphus and through the streets of Stockholm to the Central Railway Station. Here the coffin was x^laced upon a funeral cai', where it rested upon a catafalque beneath a canopy. All around the catafalque were placed the floral emblems; all save one — the Monitor of immortelles, with the Amer- ican and Swedish colors, and the white dove perched on the turret. This offering of Swedish-American ladies, that had crossed the Atlantic with Ericsson, was securely fast- ened on top the coffin, and in this position of honor fol- lowed it to its final resting-place. Smoothly and quietly the funeral train started, as if drawn by invisible cords, and the coffin of American oak, the Monitor, and the white dove glided slowly out of sight of the great multitude that stood reverentially mute, with uncovered heads. The body of John Ericsson now rests at Filipstad, near the spot where he was born. Peace to his ashes ! In life, he grandly helped to save the land of his adoption, and added fresh laurels to the glory of the land where he was born. In death, he has drawn the two countries more closely together in the bonds of friendship and good-will. THE END.